On April 30th, 2018, the Offices of Community Service and Student Affairs honored the four student groups who received theMarcus M. Reidenberg, M.D. Award in Community Service Award for 2017 and 2018. This award recognizes the collective efforts of students for outstanding contribution to the community. The winners are: 

Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights

The Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights (WCCHR) is a student-run organization that brings together volunteer clinicians and Weill Cornell students to provide forensic medical evaluations to survivors of torture, violence, and persecution who are currently seeking asylum in the United States. Since its founding in 2010, the WCCHR has conducted 426 evaluations for 364 individuals from 66 different countries and has trained 676 students in how to conduct such evaluations. In addition to serving individuals directly, the WCCHR is helping to revolutionize how asylum cases are managed in the United States by calling attention to the important, yet often unrecognized, role of medical professionals. The WCCHR is the first medical student-run asylum clinic in the United States. It has been lauded as “a model for the future” by the medical asylum community.

Weill Cornell Community Clinic

The primary mission of the Weill Cornell Community Clinic (WCCC) is to provide high quality primary health care services to uninsured New Yorkers through consultation, treatment, referral services, preventative care and screening for permanent health care insurance programs. Concurrently, the WCCC also aims to educate medical students on the medical and social issues surrounding the care of underserved populations in order to foster a sense of civic responsibility and humanitarianism. Founded in 2003, the WCCC is a student-run free clinic of Weill Cornell Medical College and provides primary care, women's and mental health services for over 150 patients a year during over 350 patient visits. 

Camp Phoenix

Camp Phoenix was founded in 2000 by a WCMC alum, Paul Mullan, M.D. (Class of 2004) to enrich the lives of pediatric burn survivors and their siblings by creating camping experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, and physically safe, all while training future physicians in the art of compassionate and empathetic care. Within this environment, campers build a support community based on sharing their stories and overcoming their disabilities. As their motto states, it’s “a place where kids can spread their wings and fly”.

Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program

The Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program was created to increase the enrollment rate of students who are underrepresented in medicine and support the next generation of healthcare leaders. It was founded in 1989 by Dr. Daniel Laroche (‘92) when he was a student here at Weill Cornell and has since expanded to medical schools across the country. Theintensive 10-week program facilitates mentorship between local high school students and current medical students while providing an opportunity for mentees to interact with physicians and other healthcare professionals. Through scientific lectures, research assignments, college essays, resume workshops, PBL sessions, and basic anatomy lessons, students are exposed to the intimacies of medicine while developing skills critical to their success beyond the conclusion of the program. Mentees who have produced extraordinary research papers and college essays are granted special recognition and book scholarships at a graduation ceremony.