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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.
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.
For a list of our current community partners, email [email protected]
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 to include a project proposal and a line-item budget. Request the templates for both by emailing [email protected].
Awards
The OUWB Service Recognition Program
The Compass Center for Community Engagement at OUWB Service Recognition Program was created to recognize students who exemplify the spirit of community engagement. Students who log the minimum required hours can earn a Service Cord or a Service Certificate.
Service Cord and Certificate Tracks
Service Cord Track
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 Cord colors symbolize the following:
Purple – ambition, creativity, and devotion
Silver – elegance, kindness, hope and sensitivity.
To qualify for the Service Cord, students must log a minimum of 150 service hours over the course of their 4 years via the GivePulse platform.
To foster connection with the OUWB community and strengthen our culture of engagement, students participating in the Service Recognition Program commit to participating in at least one OUWB-sponsored community engagement activity each academic year.
*Important Note:
M3s hoping to have their service recognition included as part of their MSPE must log all hours by July 1of the year before their M4 year.
Service Certificate Track
Students who meet the qualifying criteria will be awarded a digital service certificate. To qualify for the Service Certificate, students must log a minimum of 100 service hours over the course of their 4 years via the GivePulse platform.
To foster connection with the OUWB community and strengthen our culture of engagement, students participating in the Service Recognition Program commit to participating in at least one OUWB-sponsored community engagement activity each academic year.
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 or cords.
All service hours – or impacts - will be recorded through the GivePulse platform.
Tonya Bailey, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Community Engagement
Brian Felice, M.D.
Assistant Dean for Community Integration & Outreach
Rose Wedemeyer, Ph.D.
Director of Education Training
