Service learning is encouraged for students on the Terre Haute campus to serve as advocates for the health and well-being of the community.

Medical Service Learning

The Terre Haute campus offers many opportunities to engage in service learning, with a particular emphasis on rural community service and health. Medical service learning programs in Terre Haute supplement and enhance medical student education with community engagement opportunities. All IU School of Medicine students have an opportunity to participate in a broad range of service learning experiences, including curricular and co-curricular programs. As part of the school’s mission, educators and mentors emphasize medical students’ responsibility to serve as advocates for the health and well-being of the community.

Get Involved

Connect with IU School of Medicine for opportunities to get involved with community engagement and service learning programs.

Local Programs

The Terre Haute Community Health Fair, organized annually by medical students at IU School of Medicine-Terre Haute, invites health care organizations in the Wabash Valley to educate area residents and other attendees about their health and how they can improve it. This annual event offers many programs and services, including educational exhibits about personal health, fitness classes, massage therapy and free health screenings such as vision, hearing, blood sugar, body mass index and blood pressure. Popular educational exhibits focus on diabetes, nutrition and osteoporosis as well as fun children’s activities related to health and wellness.

The Mollie R Wheat Memorial Clinic is a free health and wellness clinic serves anyone in the community of Terre Haute and surrounding communities. The project was started with the vision of helping people without medical insurance or under-insured. Medical students as well as undergraduate health professions students operate the clinic under the supervision of volunteering physicians. The clinic is open on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 8 am until noon.

This local charity provides after-school services to at-risk youth by providing games and activities, homework help, meals and care to the children who attend. IU School of Medicine-Terre Haute medical students and Ryves Hall have developed a relationship to mentor participating youth and expose them to the fundamentals of science in an entertaining manner. Science Club is not just another activity at Ryves; it is a way to promote an interest in science, academic success, and health and wellness. Medical students in Terre Haute who participate in this program help these youth to develop inquisitive minds and the desire to become successful students.