Center for Community Engagement
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
586 Pioneer Drive
Rochester, MI 48309
(248) 370-3634
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Through Compass, the official address of community engagement, we focus on navigating connections with local, regional, national and global communities. These relationships enable faculty and staff to share their expertise with the community and assist medical students with meeting their learning objectives while identifying the needs of vulnerable populations who are served by our many diverse Compass community partners.
To learn more about Compass and its recent community engagement, please email [email protected] and request the community report.
Make a Difference Day
Make a Difference Day is an annual day of service for schools and organizations across the country. Each year, OUWB students volunteer their time at organizations around the community, which have included World Medical Relief in Southfield, MI, Hope Warming Center in Pontiac, MI, and Forgotten Harvest in Oak Park, MI, to name a few.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Each year, OUWB carries forward the torch of community engagement by celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting the MLK Day of Service. Throughout the week of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students participate in a series of volunteer activities, which have included volunteering at the Health Fair and Taste Fest at Chandler Park Academy, serving meals to the homeless, and preparing food for home-bound seniors.
OUWB-HOS Mentoring Program
A partnership between OUWB and the Catholic Charities Southeast Michigan-Hispanic Outreach Services (CCSM-HOS) has created a mentoring program for medicals students. Enthusiastic medical students at OUWB are invited to become a child’s mentor (9-17 yr.) for a period of 1-year, leading to a program certificate. This program involves educational activities to promote health and awareness of diseases affecting our children and our community at the Hispanic Outreach Service (HOS) and extracurricular activities (zoo, museums, bowling, etc.) to enhance communication and social skills.
Medical Student as Educator
Part of being a physician is learning the difficult skill of teaching. Medical students can hone these skills through volunteer activities such as Reach out to Youth (ROTY), Doctors Back to School, and Careers in Health. A service-learning project is also integrated into the Art and Practice of Medicine (APM) class where medical students teach a standardized lesson based off of the Michigan Model for Health curriculum. Topics on Nutrition/Physical Activity; Personal Health and Wellness; Social and Emotional Health; and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs are presented at one of the local elementary schools. This activity enables medical students to demonstrate the ability to assimilate scientific evidence and participate in the education of students. Additionally, this activity provides medical students with practice demonstrating interpersonal and communication skills across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Summer Internships
Rising M2s have the opportunity to participate in community, educational, and clinical internships for the month of June. Compass facilitates the community and educational opportunities where student interns get to make an impact with our community partners and in areas such as clinical anatomy. Internship applications typically go live in February.
OUWB Day of Service
Every August, students, faculty and staff join in the tradition of kicking off the new school year by giving back to the metro-Detroit community. Volunteer opportunities take place at various locations throughout the metro-Detroit area in the morning and early afternoon.
Street Medicine Oakland
Street Medicine Oakland is a medical student-led organization aiming to bridge the gap between the homeless members of our community and healthcare providers. We work to better understand our patients’ realities, so that we may provide quality medical care and resources, while equipping future physicians and leaders in healthcare with perspective and experience caring for the homeless population. More information can be found at streetmedicineoakland.org.
View the full list of OUWB community partners.
For the most up-to-date information and event sign-ups, please look for emails and newsletters from [email protected].
Community Service Mini-Grant: Individual students and student organizations are invited to submit a Compass Community Service Mini-Grant application. The mini-grant program is designed to encourage students, faculty, and staff to design and implement innovative service programs for the community surrounding OUWB.
The 2025-2026 mini-grant cycle opens August 1, 2025. Please review the updated program information prior to submitting your mini-grant application. Detailed mini-grant information can be found here. This includes review dates, funding criteria and restrictions, and purchasing information.
The application is housed on the GivePulse platform and can be found here. Awards will be granted on a rolling basis until all funds have been exhausted or until May 1, 2026. To complete your mini-grant application you will need both of the following (you will upload these to the mini-grant application):
Please download these and do not enter the information directly into the Google files.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
OUWB GivePulse Login
Site Supervisor Form for Non-OUWB Service Activities
Awards
The OUWB Service Cord Program
The Compass Center for Community Engagement at OUWB Service Cord Program is an award given to students who exemplify the spirit of volunteerism. Students who meet the qualifying criteria will be awarded the purple and silver service cord, which is presented at Honors Convocation, to be worn during the commencement ceremony. The Compass Service Honor Cords colors symbolizes the following:
Purple – ambition, creativity and devotion
Silver – elegance, kindness, hope and sensitivity.
Those participating in this program support OUWB’s mission and vision statements through acts of service.
To qualify for the Service Cord Award students must complete all requirements as outlined below (requirements are specific to class years).
Class 2026 Certificates and Cords
Students can earn a certificate for the community service activities they participate in during the academic year.
Certificates are able to be earned by completing 50 hours of service at each of three different times points: the end of the M1 year, the end of the M2 year, and the end of the M4 year (the third and fourth year requirements are combined).
For our current students, the applicable service hours will fall accordingly:
- Class of 2026 – service logged between August 1, 2024 and March 31, 2026.
The Class of 2026 can earn service cords for graduation if they have received the community service certificate at each time point (M1, M2, and M3/M4).
Students are responsible for logging their own volunteer hours and only those hours that have been logged by the deadline will count towards service certificates/ cords - no exceptions. Service impact hours must be performed in increments of 30 minutes or more.
Class of 2027 and Beyond - Certificate and Service Cord Tracks
Class of 2027 and Beyond - Service Cord Track
Students must complete a minimum of 300 service hours over the course of their 4-year journey through Medical School.
In addition, for each academic year students must:
- Participate in at least 3 OUWB sponsored events (a minimum of 12 over 4 years)
- Complete 2 service reflections: (a maximum of 8 over the course of 4 years)
- One for an OUWB sponsored event
- One for an organization of your choice
These requirements must be met by May 31 of each academic year. Students are responsible for logging their own volunteer hours and only those hours that have been logged by the deadline will count towards service certificates/ cords - no exceptions. Service impact hours must be performed in increments of 30 minutes or more.
For all non OUWB sponsored service you must submit a site supervisor form to verify your hours and service rendered.
Class of 2027 and Beyond Certificate Track
Service Certificate Award
The Compass Center for Community Engagement at OUWB Service Certificate Program is an award given to students who complete at least 150 hours of service over the course of their 4-year medical school career. Students who follow this path will receive a certificate acknowledging the total number of service hours given over all 4 years.
Students must complete a minimum of 150 service hours over the course of their 4-year journey through Medical School.
In addition to the hours, for each academic year students must:
- Participate in at least 3 OUWB sponsored events (a minimum of 12 over 4 years)
- Complete 2 service reflections: (a maximum of 8 over the course of 4 years)
- One for an OUWB sponsored event
- One for an organization of your choice
These requirements must be met by May 31 of each academic year. Students are responsible for logging their own volunteer hours and only those hours that have been logged by the deadline will count towards service certificates/ cords - no exceptions. Service impact hours must be performed in increments of 30 minutes or more.
For all non-OUWB sponsored service you must submit a site supervisor form to verify your hours and service rendered
Logging Hours
Students are responsible for logging their own volunteer hours and only those hours that have been logged by the deadline will count towards service certificates/ cords - no exceptions.
Students are able to log any direct service activity, not only those sponsored by OUWB. Fundraising does not count towards the service hours certificate, however if you are responsible for planning the fundraiser the hours completed for those preparations can be counted. For questions on what does or does not count towards the service hours certificate contact [email protected]
NEW AS OF FALL 2024:
OUWB has switched to a community engagement system called GivePulse. All service hours (called impacts in GivePulse) will be recorded through the new system. All students will be added into the system at the beginning of August, at which time instructions will be sent out and a link will be provided here.
In the meantime, please keep your own records of your service activities during this timeframe so you are able to log once you are live in the GivePulse system.
You are able to log service hours for an ongoing program with one entry. Please wait until the last date of your program and log the total hours/ list the dates of the program.
FAQs
Can I log the community service (impact) hours I have done on my own?
Yes! The only thing that does not count towards your service hour requirements is time spent fundraising. Otherwise, we want to celebrate all of the great work you have done!
I volunteered with an organization and/or worked on a project over a period of time, do I log this impact as a single instance?
Yes! An impact that takes place over a period of time should be recorded as a single instance. Students should log the duration of the impact, then list in the review/feedback/reflection section of GivePulse the actual dates and hours associated with the impact. Ex: CARE House - November 1, 2023-December 31 2023 - 20 hours - I volunteered as a child advocate at CARE House on the following dates: 11/1/23 - 5hrs; 11/15/23 - 5hrs; 12/1/23 - 5hrs; 12/31 - 5hrs.
What is an OUWB-sponsored activity?
OUWB sponsored activities are any activities that are initiated/ implemented by Compass or any other department within the School of Medicine, a Special Interest Group activity, or a community partner activity that Compass / OUWB partners with (examples include the Men's Health Event, Corewell Student Heart Check Program, Art Fish Fun, etc). It will be noted in the call for community partner activity recruitments if it qualifies as an OUWB program!
I missed the logging deadline - can I still submit? I have a lot of hours this year.
Unfortunately, no. We cannot make exceptions to the logging deadline. We highly recommend that you log your service hours (impacts) as you complete the activities so you don't miss out on any qualifying hours.
I am on a leave of absence (LOA) - can I still log volunteer hours I complete during the LOA and participate in OUWB sponsored volunteer events?
Unfortunately, no. While on a LOA, students are not able to log volunteer hours or participate in OUWB-sponsored volunteer events. These activities require active enrollment at OUWB. Once you return from your LOA and resume your studies, you'll be able to participate in OUWB volunteer events and log your hours again.
I returned from my LOA and I am now a part of a new cohort. Which program should I follow?
You will follow the program that applies to the year you will commence. For example, if you joined OUWB in 2022 but took a LOA for one year and you will now complete your studies and graduate 2027, you will follow the program that is applicable for the Class of 2027.
Tonya Bailey, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Community Engagement
Brian Felice, M.D.
Assistant Dean for Community Integration & Outreach
Trixy Hall, MAT
Graduate Programs & Community Outreach Coordinator
Jean Szura, Ph.D.
Director of Service Learning
Rose Wedemeyer, Ph.D.
Director of Education Training
