Keck School of Medicine of USC
In Los Angeles, the Keck School of Medicine of USC (Keck School) has built a model of community engagement that integrates service, education, research, and policy, reaching far beyond campus walls to be of the community, not just in it.
From the beginning of their training, Keck School students are immersed in work guided by community priorities. The experiential component of the Health Justice and Systems of Care course is a required, 12-hour, service-learning curriculum codeveloped with neighborhood leaders. It begins during orientation with Keck in the Community Day, where students work alongside Keck School Dean Carolyn Meltzer, MD; faculty members; and partner organizations to address public health issues like food insecurity, maternal and infant health, and public safety. These relationships continue throughout their education. For instance, the nationally recognized USC Street Medicine program, an interdisciplinary initiative focused on making health care more accessible for people who are unhoused, was among the first of its kind to offer a dedicated residency track. The program epitomizes Keck School’s ethos of meeting people where they are — on sidewalks, in underpasses, or in alleyways — with dignity and care.
The Keck Primary Care Program, launched in 2011, is a four-year pathway that now includes 25% of each entering class, with many graduates remaining committed to community-based practice. The students have team-based, longitudinal experiences in collaboration with federally qualified health centers. Today, more than 90% of graduates go on to serve individuals and families experiencing limited access to health care.
Research, too, is shaped by community voices. Academic medical leaders work with more than 30 community partners to shape research priorities and methods, and, once research is complete, to disseminate findings. One notable initiative is Es Tiempo, which developed when Laila Muderspach, MD, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Los Angeles General Medical Center, noticed that Latina women had unusually high rates of cervical cancer. Working with community partners, the campaign employed culturally resonant imagery to encourage screening, such as the jacaranda tree in bloom (native to Latin America). As a result, screening rates among these women increased from 59.2% in 2021 to 65.8% in 2024.
Keck School also invests in workforce development with a true “cradle-to-career” approach. The Young Adult Workforce Academy, for example, addresses community-identified needs by equipping high school graduates with practical skills, such as CPR and workplace safety training, opening pathways to a broad range of vocations, including those in health care.
At the institutional level, the Office of Community Partnerships has coordinated more than 400 initiatives. The USC Good Neighbors Campaign, funded by employee donations, invests approximately $1 million annually in local grants to strengthen neighborhoods and create educational and career opportunities. The Office of Community and Workforce Development aligns nearly 300 programs across mission areas, facilitating joint efforts with government, philanthropy, nonprofits, and residents to address community-identified needs.
In every facet of its mission, Keck School cultivates relationships built on respect, shared purpose, and long-term commitment. Community engagement is woven into the institution’s fabric, producing measurable benefits and outcomes for both communities and learners, positioning Keck School as a model for how academic medicine and communities can optimize health together.