Student Organizations

The Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association (APAMSA) is a national organization of medical and pre-medical students committed to addressing the unique health challenges of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities. APAMSA serves as a forum for student leaders to engage these health issues and develop initiatives and projects addressing those needs. APAMSA aims to promote the health of the APIA community and help healthcare workers understand how to care for APIA patients in a culturally sensitive manner. Finally, APAMSA provides an important venue for medical students to meet, exchange experiences, and develop personally and professionally through leadership and service.

The Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) is a student organization representing Native American graduate health professions students throughout the US and Canada. The goals of ANAMS include providing support and a resource network for all Native Americans currently enrolled in various allied health professions schools and striving to increase the number of Native American students in medicine and other health professions. ANAMS promotes exposure and recognition of Native students on a national level throughout the medical community. Our organization is primarily supported by the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP). On our pathway into the health professions, we hope to provide Native students a resource network.

The mission and purpose of CMA-SS is to foster community between Catholic medical students at Feinberg and to help them grow together in their faith. It is also tasked with helping the greater Chicago community through service and worship.

The Disability Advocacy Coalition in Medicine (DAC Med) seeks to create a culture of disability inclusion in medicine at FSM and beyond that is: Inclusive in teaching how to be a culturally competent provider for patients with different types of disabilities; Informative in communicating how trainees can be involved in combating ableism in medicine; Supportive of existing providers and future providers in medicine with disability.

Chapters

• Northwestern University
• University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• The Ohio State University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Brown University
• University of Arizona - Phoenix
• Loyola University
• University of Maryland
• Texas A&M University

Faculty and Organizational Partners:

• Florida State University
• Harvard University
• Stanford University
• University of Carolina Chapel Hill
• University of Chicago
• University of Illinois Chicago
• University of Connecticut
• University of Colorado-Anschutz
• University of California Los Angeles
• University of California San Francisco
• University of South Florida
• University of Miami
• Oregon Health and Science University
• University of Vermont

Our mission is to promote student well-being by fostering an inclusive community for students to explore the intersection of the Christian faith and medicine.

The Feinberg Christian Fellowship strives to provide an environment for medical students to learn about Christianity and spirituality through interactions with other students and with faculty. We aim to promote healthy personal awareness and self-care through fellowship and accountability, and to give students the opportunity to develop their individual religious perspectives. Students will gain an understanding of how Christianity plays a role in decision-making for both patients and doctors, and will hear from Christian students and doctors how faith has played a role in their personal and professional lives. This understanding will lead to improved patient-centered medical care and interpersonal skills that are crucial for becoming a competent and empathetic physician.        

The Feinberg LGBTQ+ Alliance at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine promotes safety, inclusion, and acceptance of LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff through advocacy, education, and discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and rights.

What We Do:

Connect fellow Feinberg LGBTQ+ medical students and provide a supportive, educative environment through social events and informal group discussions. In addition, we are a recognized chapter of the Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA), expanding our network of LGBTQ+ medical student group partners and providing us with the information and tools to effectively achieve our mission.

Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization representing the interests and needs of LGBTQ+ medical students. We support our growing campus network of over 30 local chapters and offer national membership for access to important resources related to LGBTQ+ health.

Advocate for the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion, particularly in healthcare.

Educate the student body and greater Feinberg community through our Lecture Series and LGBTQ+ Safe Space Training.

• OutList
  Discover our public, voluntary listing of Feinberg community members who identify as LGBTQ+.

This group will help Feinberg students develop appropriate communication skills when interacting with patients from an Islamic background. In addition, it aims to promote public health through community outreach. As medical school can be a time of significant stress, it also aims to encourage self-care/well-being among Muslim students through communal support.

JMSO is dedicated to helping students remain actively connected to their Jewish identities during their time at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. JMSO hosts Shabbat dinners, holiday get-togethers and other events to encourage discussion, service and self-reflection.

LMSA is a student-run organization whose mission is to unify all Latino medical students to provide a voice for underrepresented students. It also seeks to empower medical students through service, mentorship and education to advocate for the health of the Latino community.

Hermanos y Hermanas

Being Latinx in medical school is a unique experience. Whether you're a child of immigrants, the first in your family to pursue medicine, or just missing home, navigating this training path alone can be challenging. Hermanos y Hermanas, a student-run program at Feinberg School of Medicine, offers a supportive community and valuable mentoring opportunities for Latinx-identifying students and those who align with and advocate for the success of Latine populations in medical school. The program operates through both "structured" and "unstructured" programming, fostering a network of connection, encouragement and shared experiences.

Structured Programming

• Resident and Faculty Lunch Spotlights
• Emails for each module with advice from older Latinx students
• Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) I and II mock sessions at the Outpatient Simulation Center
• Panels, covering topics including studying in medical school, third-party resources and choosing an Area of Scholarly Concentration (AOSC)

The National Arab American Medical Student Association (NAAMA) NextGen is a graduate, student-run organization that fosters community, uplifts MENA voices, and combats stereotypes so that MENA identifying individuals at Feinberg can be empowered to embrace their cultures and traditions in an inclusive environment. This is a cultural organization that embraces the MENA region, which is abundant with many different ethnicities and religions. This organization is committed to fostering a safe space on the Feinberg campus, as well as supporting and fostering relationships with the larger MENA community in the Chicagoland area. MENAMSA is committed to educating the Feinberg community about MENA cultures, with a focus on highlighting the health needs and disparities within this community, so that as future healthcare professionals, students can be informed about the particularities of this minority group.

NUPA RISE (Northwestern University Physician Assistant Students for Representation, Inclusion, and Social Equity) is a student-led organization for underrepresented students, including people of color, first-generation students, immigrants and refugees, and those from low-income backgrounds. We are committed to creating a supportive and empowering environment for students from these often-marginalized communities with the primary goal to build a sense of belonging within the Northwestern Physician Assistant student community. Additionally, NUPA RISE will serve as a resource for students seeking broader connections with alumni and the wider community, while promoting and supplementing discussions on topics affecting marginalized groups in both academic and healthcare settings.

The South Asian Medical Student Association (SAMoSA) brings together medical students of South Asian descent at Feinberg to foster community, celebrate South Asian culture and provide mentorship for South Asian students in medicine. The organization also serves as a space for medical students of all backgrounds to learn about South Asian culture and how it interacts with health in South Asian communities.

SNMA is committed to supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students, addressing the needs of underserved communities, and increasing the number of clinically excellent, culturally competent and socially conscious physicians. SNMA chapters based at allopathic and osteopathic medical schools throughout the nation, and some colleges, implement programs and activities locally. SNMA programs are designed to serve the health needs of underserved communities and communities of color.

The Feinberg SNMA chapter tries to incorporate this mission in our Northwestern community and greater Chicago. One of our most prominent programs is the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP). This program is dedicated to providing underrepresented minority high school and college students with unique health related experiences. To educate the Feinberg community on minority issues, we host talks which address health issues specific to minority populations. Lastly, SNMA is an organization that feels like family, and is committed to the personal and professional development of its members.

The Daniel Hale Williams Society

The Daniel Hale Williams Society of the Feinberg School of Medicine was established in 2018 to build community and provide support for those in the medical profession while honoring the legacy of Daniel Hale Williams, MD,  Feinberg graduate and faculty member and one of the most noteworthy physicians of the 20th century. Open to those who support and advance this legacy, the society has launched several initiatives to promote and facilitate career development at Feinberg.

The Emma Ann Reynolds Circle

The Emma Ann Reynolds Circle of the Feinberg School of Medicine was established to build community and provide support for those in the medical profession while honoring the legacy of Emma Ann Reynolds, graduate from Feinberg in 1895 and a trailblazer in medicine. Open to individuals who support and advance this legacy, the circle has introduced several initiatives aimed at fostering mentoring relationships and creating opportunities for connection and career development at Feinberg.

The CHC Ophthalmology group is dedicated to giving medical students the opportunity to practice some unique exam skills (e.g. tonometry, slit lamp exam, etc) as well as provide eye care to an underserved patient population.

The Chinatown Clinic (combined with Hep-B Alliance) seeks to provide medical services to the Chicago Chinatown community, help students gain a greater understanding of the needs of this community, and cultivate culturally competent care. The organization’s goals align with the core competencies of Community Engagement and Service, Medical Knowledge and Scholarship, and Patient-Centered Medical Care.

The mission of Devon Clinic is to provide students of the Feinberg School of Medicine an opportunity to expand and apply their medical knowledge in service of an underserved community of Chicago.

The purpose of New Life Volunteering Society (NLVS) is to provide service to those in need especially through healthcare and education in order to reduce disparities and improve the overall well-being of our local communities and the world. Additionally, the Northwestern Chapter of the organization focuses on fostering communication between medical students and health professionals as well as facilitating clinical experiences in healthcare. Through volunteerism, NLVS strives to improve community health while enabling the growth of future professionals who are passionate about service.

The objectives of NLVS are to provide opportunities for medical students to volunteer in clinical settings in Evanston, Chicago and abroad, to teach patients how to make healthy lifestyle changes, and to aid in the establishment of healthcare services in developing nations.

Camp Wildcat is aimed at promoting equity for youth across Chicago by working with Chicago Youth Programs to organize educational programming and engage with students from early elementary school through young adulthood.

Our Mission is to aid low-income and unhoused populations in the Chicago area operating as the Northwestern Chapter of Chicago Street Medicine (CSM), a Chicago-wide nonprofit. We operate street medicine runs twice a week to distribute food, water, clothing, resource referrals, and medical care under physician supervision to unhoused individuals in the Streeterville, River North, and Loop areas. We also organize educational events, advocacy projects, and volunteer opportunities with community partners to educate our communities on how to be more effective advocates and broaden our impact on our service recipients.  

The Mission of Chicago Youth Programs (CYP) is to improve the health and life opportunities of at-risk youth using a comprehensive approach aimed at developing their capabilities. Such a lofty goal thus requires a great volunteer effort. CYP, founded in 1984 by Northwestern medical students, though since expanded to serve more neighborhoods in Chicago, has always had a special partnership with Northwestern. The Mission of CYP at the Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM) shall be to train and provide volunteers towards and support the greater Mission of CYP, as well as enriching the education experience of the members through interactions with at-risk Chicago youth enrolled in CYP. This will be done through structured tutoring and mentorship opportunities with youth participants in CYP and by enabling volunteers to participate in the CYP free clinic at Lurie Children’s Hospital. Members volunteering with CYP shall see their educational experience enriched beyond that of their classroom education by developing skills in Community Engagement and Service, Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Patient Centered Medical Care, and Systems Awareness and Team Based Care.

The FSM Climate Action Group serves to promote sustainable practices within Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and the Chicagoland community. Our mission is to educate students, faculty, and staff about climate change and its impact on health, encourage sustainable practices inside and outside of the classroom and hospital, and promote initiatives to reduce waste and energy consumption.

Overall Mission Understand how organizations make community-driven changes and the possible roles of health professionals. [CES-1-4] Familiarity with neighborhoods and resources of Chicago and major public health issues facing the city [CES-1] with the hope that students will play a more active role in community/public related health [CES-2-4] Articulate your personal perspective on culture, health and healthcare variances and disparities; compare and contrast your views from before and after your experiences through Destination: Chicago and reflect on your personal commitment to service as a physician. [PASC-1, PASC-3] Exploration into personal values and how they influence choices students make in medicine Name and list contact information of people and resources within the Feinberg community (faculty, students, other programs) who are engaged with community and public health. [PASC-3] Networking with health advocates, peers and physicians who are interested in tackling community health issues Facilitate relationship building among peers with similar interests [PASC-2].

The mission of the Feinberg Health Education Initiative is to create and disseminate clear and accurate information regarding chronic diseases to members of our Chicagoland communities. We hope to empower community members regarding their health, with an emphasis on prevention and management of different common health conditions. Health education is a critical part of patient understanding and confidence when interacting with health systems.

The goal of our organization is to provide resources and tools for students to understand the concerns of the populations that we work with and respond to these community needs with actionable steps. Community engagement through ECMH sites, NMH partners, and existing student groups will be critical to identify specific needs and develop student resources.

In regards to specific content, we will be compiling informational handouts and conducting virtual/in-person presentations about diseases like COVID-19, hypertension, and diabetes. This organization integrates the Feinberg core competencies of Community Engagement and Service, Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills, and Professional Behavior and Moral Reasoning.

Global surgery is a growing field that recognizes that surgical care must be expanded to low-income settings in a multi-disciplinary approach that includes the basic infrastructure needed to create lasting changes. The Feinberg Global Surgery Student Alliance engages students, residents, and faculty within and beyond our institution who recognize these needs and seeks to facilitate the sharing of ideas, experiences, research, and opportunities within this field. It is our vision that students pursuing surgical careers may become involved with global surgery early during their training and remain committed to it at each stage of their training and practice.

Hamara Health aims to support South Asian community health through sustainable action-oriented educational initiatives. We aim to promote preventative medicine through storytelling, interactive presentations, and mentorship programs.

The mission of Keep Your Heart Healthy (KYHH) is to improve the cardiovascular health of the greater Chicago community while also strengthening the skills of Feinberg medical students in community cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. KYHH aims to develop a successful model of academic and city health department collaboration with the goal of preventing chronic diseases while increasing access to healthcare services for a wide range of populations in Chicago. KYHH demonstrates almost all of the Feinberg competencies, but has a focus on combining three of them: Community Engagement and Service, Medical Knowledge and Scholarship, and System Awareness and Team-Based Care. Through our integrative approach to community outreach, we are able to teach both students and participants medical knowledge while better understanding participants’ individual needs in the context of a larger healthcare system.

Medical Students for Choice (MSFC) is a non-profit organization that works throughout the world to create tomorrow’s abortion providers and pro-choice physicians through supporting medical student advocacy and programming, improving the reproductive health curricula in schools and residencies and increasing abortion training opportunities. The group’s mission aligns well with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s competencies because it helps create students who are continuously learning more about the field of reproductive health and engaging themselves in patient advocacy and service in order to provide patient-centered reproductive health care to women.    

Menstrual Equity Activists at Feinberg (MEA) is a student-led organization that works towards menstrual equity in the Chicagoland area through the 3 pillars of advocacy, education, and service. By working on initiatives like partnering with local schools to teach medically accurate menstrual health and partnering with local shelters to provide access to menstrual health needs- students will have robust opportunities to work on the competency of community engagement and service. Getting involved with the community and advocating for menstrual equity is the core goal of MEA. Additionally, through this process, students will also work on the competency of effective communication and interpersonal skills since they will be working together and with medical professionals/the community to bring strong initiatives surrounding teaching youth, providing access to menstrual products, pushing for important menstrual health policy, etc. As a group, we strive to address the gap in conversation, action, and advocacy that continually perpetuates menstrual inequity, so that one day the Chicagoland area provides the basic right of menstrual equity to all its menstruators.

The mission of the NMDP Chapter of Feinberg SOM (NMDP@FSOM) is to engage students in the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP®) mission to save lives by: 1. Providing meaningful, unique opportunities for students to learn about blood cancers and other life-threatening diseases treated by a blood stem cell transplant. 2. Increasing awareness of the need for registry members who can save a life. 3. Holding campus-wide education/awareness events, donor registry and fundraising events and activities to give the entire student body the opportunity to join in this social movement and global effort.

NUborn Cuddlers will send medical and physician assistant students to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Prentice Women’s Hospital to cuddle with and read to neonates. This organization will correlate with multiple of Feinberg’s core competencies including Community Engagement and Service as well as Patient Centered Care by providing students the opportunity to serve and engage with a vulnerable patient population.

We seek to provide mentorship, assistance, and advice to aspiring pre-medical students attending Northwestern University. In doing so, we hope to be of service to the greater Northwestern community outside of Feinberg and to engage in constructive reflection of ourselves and our path to medical school, giving us a greater appreciation for where we are now.

The mission of the Paws NU Club is to connect Feinberg students with animal shelters to provide meaningful community service experiences and promote personal wellness through bonding with peers and pets.

Project MED (Medicine, Exposure, Development) is a student-run 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on exposing underserved high school students to the breadth of opportunities in healthcare through near-peer mentorship, pre-professional guidance, and hands-on workshops.

The purpose of this club is to create a continuous and strengthened relationship with Sarah’s Circle, facilitating a lasting connection between medical students and the members of Sarah’s Circle that will build upon the work done in the past two years. Participation in this group will entail raising awareness for Sarah’s Circle and the needs of the insecurely housed population, encouragement of student participation in Sarah’s Circle fundraising events, and hosting of drives such as for clothing, sanitary products, or food.

With our close partnership with Chicago community organizations, our mission is to build longitudinal connections between Feinberg students of all programs with older adults across Chicago who are at risk of social isolation.   

Special Olympics Mission Statement: “The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”

Feinberg-specific Mission Statement: By partnering with Special Olympics, students at Feinberg will get the opportunity to work with a unique and often under-represented population in traditional medical training. There exists a gap in the quality of care for people with intellectual disabilities, who often receive substandard or virtually no health care at all. This organization will help students develop meaningful relationships with children and adults with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing value-based and inclusive health care. Overall, the organization intends to address Community Engagement and Service as well as Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills through two major forms of programming: Yearly, Special Olympics partners with local schools in Chicago to address the gap in care for people with intellectual disabilities by organizing free hands-on screenings and education. These screenings have made a significant impact on the local community, often helping to discover undetected health problems and connecting individuals with health services that otherwise may not have been available. This organization will recruit groups of healthcare students and professionals to volunteer at these events, giving our Feinberg community the opportunity to increase our knowledge of best practices in caring for and communicating with people with intellectual disabilities. The local Illinois Special Olympics chapter hosts a wide variety of events throughout the year to promote fitness and wellness within the community of people with intellectual disabilities. By partnering with the chapter, this organization will help give exposure to students who would like to work with this population.

Venture for Impact aims to broadly serve as an incubator for student-led community interventions - to connect these student leaders with faculty mentors (to produce research), recruit them a team of like-minded students, and help them get in touch with community organizations to pilot and assess their work. Ultimately, we want to allow students to identify issues faced by populations they wish to serve as physicians (ex: social isolation experienced by the elderly) and give them the tools and resources to build the intervention, and be the change for them.

The Northwestern Chapter of the American Medical Association strives to expand the horizon and experience of Northwestern students by coordinating advocacy and networking opportunities with medical experts. We are committed to developing leadership, furthering the integrity and viability of the medical profession, and promoting activism for the health of America.

AWS Feinberg Mission: To provide a shared community and space for dialogue surrounding opportunities, challenges, and breakthroughs for women in the field of surgery; to provide opportunities for mentorship and leadership development with female surgeons who are leaders in their field; to provide guidance on future surgery opportunities and endeavors; to offer conference meet-ups; to offer residency interviewing accommodations; to provide shared communication with other AWS chapters, including those at fellow Chicago medical schools.

The mission of Choosing Wisely is to promote conversations between clinicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is: supported by evidence and not duplicative of other tests or procedures already received free from harm truly necessary.

The mission of the Digital Health and Data Science Student Interest Group is to educate and empower the student body with knowledge in digital health and data science.

Feinberg Baking Interest Group is an organization dedicated to enriching students through the creative pursuit of baking while giving back to the community. As we have gotten to know our classmates more throughout the year, we have found that so many of our classmates share a love for baking. Many students find baking as a way of self-care as baking can be an outlet of creativity and an opportunity for connecting with others. Many home-bakers have found they have a surplus of baked goods and often don’t know what to do with it. Rather than letting this food go to waste, we also think it is a great opportunity to engage with and service the community. We aim to give back to the community in the form of donating money from bake sales to charities and direct food donations to local food banks.  

Feinberg Climbing seeks to unite all students passionate about or interested in trying out the growing sport of rock climbing. Our mission is to provide a community within which students can have fun and improve their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. We also hope to engage with community partners to help make climbing more accessible for all, regardless of financial or physical obstacles.

Physicians are highly-educated and extensively trained at performing difficult scientific analysis and life-saving procedures. Given a favorable medical school curriculum, many physicians also receive training in patient-oriented financial matters such as insurance market navigation. However, doctors receive little to no training when it comes to their personal finance, investing, insurance, taxes, asset protection, etc. The mission of Feinberg Finance is to educate medical students on key personal finance topics and how they can best prepare themselves for a successful career in medicine. Regardless of current knowledge level or experience, we hope this group will be informative for all medical students as they embark on their journey towards becoming a physician.

Feinberg Fit advances the holistic wellbeing of Feinberg students by creating and supporting opportunities for them to engage in a broad spectrum of recreational activities in the Chicago area. Our goal is to create community, promote teamwork, and foster leadership among the student body through fun and inclusive games, sports, and outings.

We believe that interdisciplinary collaborations are essential to solving complex problems and making important discoveries. Feinberg Graduate Collaborations aims to empower students to learn, grow and work collaboratively with experts from fields including students from Feinberg programs like: MD, PT, PA, P&O, Genetic Counseling and others. We hope to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where students from different disciplines can come together to share their ideas, knowledge and expertise. We aim to foster a culture of collaboration where students are encouraged to work across disciplines, and where innovation and creativity are celebrated. Through our efforts, we hope to inspire the next generation of leaders in the field of medicine and to prepare them to tackle the most pressing health challenges of our time. Our mission is to support students at Feinberg School of Medicine in developing interdisciplinary collaborations on research and scholarly work. Our long-term goal is to expand our foundational collaborations at the Feinberg level to other Northwestern graduate programs such as McCormick School of Engineering, Pritzker School of Law, and Kellogg School of Business.

We are dedicated to organizing students interested in addressing issues of health equity. Our mission is to advocate for greater incorporation of health equity into Feinberg curricular elements, foster a broader understanding of social determinants of health within Chicago and the greater community, promote collaboration among Feinberg student groups interested in addressing issues of health equity, and increase students’ capacity to take actions directed at eliminating health disparities.

The mission of the Medical Education Interest Group is to increase awareness and facilitate exploration of opportunities in medical education amongst the student body of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. To accomplish our mission, we will hold educational talks with guest speakers, connect students with academic faculty, and raise awareness of non-traditional forms of medical education.

Consolidate and expand the innovation/business community at Northwestern, Feinberg, and NMH. Increase student exposure and experience in innovation and business in medicine, develop resources to connect medical innovators in the NU community, and encourage students to improve patient outcomes by solving medical problems.        

Medical Mandarin Club is a student group that provides students with knowledge of medical Mandarin Chinese and associated cultural competency through engaging in peer-to-peer education. These activities align with the core competencies of Patient-Centered Medical Care and Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills, as speaking to patients in their primary language can help build patient-physician rapport and reduce stress from communication issues. The club will also have the potential to support the competency of Community Engagement and Service in the future, as students educated in medical Mandarin will be able to volunteer as translators and student providers at events serving Mandarin-speaking patients.

The mission of NU Health Innovate-a-thon is to host an annual pitch competition focused on innovation and quality improvement problems in healthcare. In doing this, we aim to 1) improve student awareness and interest in innovation and QI in healthcare, 2) unite the many different innovation and QI entities at Northwestern, NMH, and Chicago, 3) create a pipeline for idea generation and connection to mentors and investors, and 4) bring Northwestern students together for a weekend of exciting and stimulating problem solving and teamwork.              

NU Vision’s mission is to expose medical students to the full breadth of opportunities available to those with an MD degree. Feinberg recruits an ambitious and creative student body that possesses an array of skills that can benefit the medical world from multiple fronts – national policy, social advocacy, governmental organizations, healthcare consulting, journalism, business, healthcare technology, etc. The lack of exposure to these potential career opportunities while in medical school confines students’ perceived realm of possibilities and runs the risk of underutilizing some of medicine’s greatest talent. Our goal is to recruit Feinberg faculty and other physicians all over the country who are doing work in unorthodox fields to speak with students about their journey and inspire the next generation of outside-the-box thinking physicians who can impact the world of medicine in unique ways.

Second Opinions has a two-fold mission. First, we strive to improve the health of Chicago’s under-served populations by providing strategic thinking and results-oriented analysis to the leaders of Chicago-area healthcare organizations. Second, we are committed to providing Feinberg medical students with rich, hands-on opportunities to learn about and improve organizational challenges in healthcare. Second Opinions utilizes the management consulting model of engagement: small teams of medical students will work collaboratively with clinics to address specific strategic and operational challenges. Our services are further supported by connections to quality improvement experts at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

The Chekov Review (formerly known as Writes of Passage) aims to provide a space for students to develop their writing skills personally and professionally, explore ways that medical professionals can advocate for their patients and colleagues through writing and for the greater Feinberg community to share their experiences through the written word in the world of healthcare and beyond.

WildMed aims to promote interest in the field of wilderness medicine and foster engagement with the outdoors. With its interest group aspect, WildMed will further knowledge about wilderness medicine, the medical conditions and scenarios the field deals with, and career opportunities in the field. WildMed will also organize student involvement in the MedWAR Challenge, where teams compete in a race using their medical knowledge, skills, and techniques in a wilderness setting. By developing teamwork skills through this competition, students will be better equipped to work as an effective member of the healthcare team. Finally, WildMed will promote physical and mental health by engaging students with nature via the organization of outdoor activities.

Docappella is Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s a cappella interest and performance group. Docappella's mission is to promote musicianship and performance in the Feinberg community through learning a cappella renditions of popular music in weekly rehearsals and performing them in occasional performances to the school.

The mission of the Feinberg Art Book (FAB) is to serve all students by showcasing the community of artists and creators within medicine. Art makes life beautiful and that there is a community of creators at Feinberg. However, becau​se of the individualistic nature of writing or the visual arts, it can be easy to feel isolated and lost in a sea of science. Thus, the idea for the Feinberg Art Book was born. We believe that by collecting and publishing the creations of Feinberg students, we can showcase our multidisciplinary talents to our colleagues and demonstrate that we are not alone in our experiences. We believe that art unites creators and audience alike in a shared experience. Like In Vivo and the Northwestern Medical Orchestra, a Feinberg artbook would help bridge the gap between students of all classes and provide a collaborative environment for artistic creation. In addition, art therapy is commonly used with patients for stress relief, anxiety, and depression. We believe that a Feinberg artbook would benefit the wellness of the overall community. The goals of FAB are aligned with Feinberg’s core competencies: Personal Awareness and Self-Care and Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills.

The mission of the Feinberg Cycling Club is to unify road cyclists in the Feinberg, Northwestern Medicine, and Northwestern Graduate communities for group rides, fundraisers, and more.

The Northwestern Medical Orchestra (NMO) unites Northwestern and Chicago communities through live music experience. A unique ensemble of students, alumni, faculty, and staff in healthcare, NMO promotes well-being in musicians and audiences alike and supports a wide array of programming.

Our mission is to connect Feinberg students with a passion for crafting (knitting, crocheting, embroidery, etc.) to promote wellness through creative hobbies and bonding with peers. We hope to extend this passion to the greater community through donations to charitable organizations and partnerships with other Feinberg service organizations.

To promote good fellowship among students, alumni, and faculty of medical schools and the medical community. To encourage excellence in professional work and continuing improvement in the medical profession. To assist, by every honorable means, the advancement of its members. To enhance the quality of medical education. To promote the concept of medicine as a profession of service to society.   

The Aerospace Medicine Interest Group at Feinberg School of Medicine is a student group that focuses on providing a platform for career exploration and discussing the latest advances in astromedicine and aerospace medicine. We plan to host speaker events and journal clubs, organize virtual shadowing opportunities and away rotations, and develop research project proposals for testing on the International Space Station via NASA’s project solicitation program.

This organization aims to promote medical knowledge, system awareness, continuous learning, and student interest in the specialty of Allergy & Immunology. The group is also responsible for connecting students with related resources to enable the pursuit of interests in this field.

The Anesthesiology Interest Group seeks to help students gain a greater understanding of the medical specialty of anesthesiology, the medical knowledge associated with the specialty, and the career development necessary to pursue the specialty. The organization’s goals therefore align with the core competencies of Continuous Learning Improvement and Quality Improvement as well as Medical Knowledge and Scholarship.

The Cardiology Interest Group is a Feinberg School of Medicine student group committed to increasing student awareness of careers in cardiology and encouraging student engagement in the field. CIG also serves as a connection between the cardiology department and the student body. Finally, CIG provides students an interactive environment to meet with faculty, exchange ideas and pursue their interests or explore field of cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and other related specialties.

Cardiothoracic surgery has always been an exciting and rapidly changing field of medicine. From adult cardiac surgeons, to congenital cardiac surgeons to general thoracic surgeons, this specialty offers a great deal of breadth and depth for rising medical students to explore. Furthermore, with the advent of the integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency (I-6), there is growing interest in the field among students and this necessitates a professional interest group to offer these students guidance. The mission of this interest group will be to connect medical students with faculty and residents in the department to help increase exposure to this exciting field. Lunch talks will be held throughout the year where faculty will come to describe why they chose the field, the training involved and any interesting or unique experiences. This group will also serve as a forum for students to ask questions about residencies/fellowship or the field as a whole. In addition to lunch talks, we also hope to have wet-labs where students can learn and practice suturing, knot-tying and valve replacements using pig hearts. In regard to the core competencies of Feinberg, we believe this organization’s mission correlates with System Awareness/Team-Based Care and Personal Awareness/Self-Care. System awareness because it hopefully will show students how the field of cardiothoracic surgery functions. Personal awareness because we hope that this organization will help students in determining if cardiothoracic surgery is a career path they would like to follow. 

The mission of the Diagnostic Radiology Interest Group (DRIG) is to increase awareness and facilitate exploration of the field of diagnostic radiology amongst the student body of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

The Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG) exists to foster interest and increase knowledge about the field of emergency medicine. Through educational talks, resident and student interactions, and simulation events, EMIG enhances student’s knowledge and ability to perform the best quality patient-centered medical care, while also creating an atmosphere that builds teamwork, strong communication, and a focus on continuous self-learning.

Since the earliest focused recorded studies in 200 BC, endocrinology has been a fascinating and central field in medicine. From the discovery of the mechanisms of common endocrine disorders such as diabetes mellitus and hyper/hypothyroidism, to the development of treatments for them, to the expansion of our knowledge of the human body’s processes thanks to its hormones, an awareness and basic understanding of endocrinology, as well as an opportunity to explore the possibilities in this exciting field is absolutely essential for medical students and professionals. To these ends, our goal is to connect students with Endocrinology faculty for potential clinical/research opportunities, invite Endocrinology faculty/residents/fellows to give talks about their clinical work/research to educate the student body on the Endocrinology subspecialty, and to give students a space to exchange ideas and explore careers within endocrinology, with an emphasis on both clinical and research possibilities. In addition, we also hope to raise awareness and education about common endocrine disorders such as diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2, hyper/hypothyroidism, osteoporosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome, that affect a great deal of patients in the US and World, especially those who live in under-resourced areas and are affected strongly by the Social Determinants of Health. We also hope to provide education and avenues of advocacy for endocrine treatments such as gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy, affordable insulin, and preventative strategies.  

The Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) works to increase networking and professional development opportunities for those interested in Family Medicine and stimulate interest in Family Medicine within the Feinberg student body. As members of the FMIG, students have an opportunity to explore leadership and financial opportunities within Family and Community Medicine by networking with Family Medicine students, doctors and leaders. It is dedicated to reaching the following goals:

• Exposing students to the interaction between primary care and the medical community
• Helping students gain a better understanding of determinants of health and how they can be approached from a primary care standpoint
• Building awareness about the specialty of family medicine and primary care, and connect students with University and Community leaders in this area
• Beginning to develop the skills required to become a family medicine physician through experiential and classroom learning
• Providing students access and exposure to community health centers, and help them to understand the role they play in patient health care   

The Gastroenterology (GI) Interest Group will facilitate opportunities for students to meet faculty members, shadow current faculty members, participate in meaningful clinical experiences, and gain greater exposure to the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. The club will help facilitate students' development of effective patient centered medical care and professional behavior through shadowing opportunities with gastroenterologists and hepatologists and medical knowledge & scholarship through facilitating exposure to research and helping develop contacts with faculty in the department. We seek to increase awareness of the variety of career and subspecialty options that exist within the field of GI including but not limited to: transplant hepatology, endoscopy, nutrition, inflammatory bowel disease, advanced endoscopy, general gastroenterology, general hepatology, pathology, IBD, clinical nutrition, and pediatric GI. As COVID vaccine roll-out progresses during the ongoing pandemic, we will transition from a virtual space to in-person meetings to host events, promote networking, and engage the Feinberg Community.

Global surgery is a growing field that recognizes that surgical care must be expanded to low-income settings in a multi-disciplinary approach that includes the basic infrastructure needed to create lasting changes. The Feinberg Global Surgery Student Alliance engages students, residents, and faculty within and beyond our institution who recognize these needs and seeks to facilitate the sharing of ideas, experiences, research, and opportunities within this field. It is our vision that students pursuing surgical careers may become involved with global surgery early during their training and remain committed to it at each stage of their training and practice. Our goals are highly compatible with the interdisciplinary goals of the Feinberg curriculum, particularly relating to the competencies of community engagement and service, systems awareness and team-based care, and medical knowledge and scholarship.

The Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Interest Group (MPIG) aims to increase student awareness of and interest in internal medicine-pediatrics and facilitate in the development mentorship and/or research opportunities with med-peds trained faculty at the Feinberg School of Medicine. Through this mission, students will have the opportunity to engage in various areas related to the core competencies of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, including but not limited to, career exploration, identification of mentorship, and engagement in scholarly activity.

The purpose of this society is to increase student awareness of careers in internal medicine and serve as a connection between the internal medicine department and student body.

The mission of the Interventional Radiology Interest Group (IRIG) is to increase awareness and facilitate exploration of the field of interventional radiology amongst the student body of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. To accomplish our mission, we will hold educational talks with guest speakers, connect students with interventional radiologists for shadowing and research experiences, and facilitate students’ interactions with the field of interventional radiology on a broader, national level.

The Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine Interest Group will serve to educate about the field of integrative medicine, bridge the gap between students and the Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern, and inform students about different healing and self-care practices to better provide holistic and patient-centered care.

The Loyal Davis Surgical Interest Group (LDSIG) has a mission to promote and develop student interest in the field of surgery at the earliest possible time. The group serves to act as a resource for students, through hosting workshops, panels, and talks, while also facilitating access to research and shadowing opportunities.    

The Neurological Surgery Interest group aims to expose Feinberg School of Medicine students to the field of neurological surgery in a context outside of the classroom via faculty presentations/discussions, interactive activities, shadowing opportunities, and grand round observation. In addition, students will also have the opportunity to participate in an annual anatomy lab led by faculty to acquire hands-on experience. This group will also facilitate communication among like-minded individuals at Feinberg School of Medicine to learn from each other through the sharing of experiences and ideas. This group welcomes any and all members of the student body and strives to expand on the core competencies emphasized in the curriculum at the Feinberg School of Medicine in an extracurricular setting with particular reference to neurological surgery. The group also seeks to expose undergraduate students to medicine and neurosurgery via participation in its events.

NU STAT (Student Transplant Action Team) aims to create opportunities for NU FSM students to experience life as a transplant surgeon early in their medical education. The STAT program will maintain a communication system that allows the NMH transplant team to contact STAT team leaders whenever there is an organ procurement and transplant surgery scheduled. The leaders then send a first-come, first-served message to all STAT members to alert them of the opportunity to accompany the transplant team. The overall mission of this organization is to create deeper learning and mentorship opportunities for medical students interested in surgery.

The Ob-Gyn Interest Group serves to introduce and expose Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine students to the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology by organizing various opportunities and events. Our mission is to stimulate interest in this specialty by promoting awareness and support for women’s health, in keeping with Feinberg’s core competencies. Through Labor & Delivery shadowing, Gynecology clinic volunteering, and informational lunch talks and panels, we hope to promote the spirit of Community Engagement & Service, Patient-centered Medical Care, and Medical Knowledge & Scholarship.

The Ophthalmology Interest Group is organized to secure an active role for medical students with an interest in Ophthalmology in connecting to various resources, providing a platform for collaboration, and encouraging interaction and communication between medical students and faculty in Ophthalmology. OIG works to stimulate interest and increase professional development opportunities.

The Otolaryngology Interest Group aims to provide opportunities for students at the Feinberg School of Medicine to explore the field of otolaryngology. The Otolaryngology Interest Group strives to provide a space for Northwestern students to learn about Ear, Nose, and Throat Surgery and its related fields through interactions with students, residents, fellows, and faculty members. The group’s specific objectives are to (1) connect interested students with mentors in the ENT field, (2) educate students about the medical specialty, and (3) provide shadowing and other opportunities for early exposure.

The mission of the Pathology Interest Group is to facilitate career exploration, awareness, and education in the field of pathology amongst the student body while increasing medical knowledge and scholarship.         

The Pediatrics Interest Group (PIG) is a student-led organization with a goal to increase student awareness and appreciation for the field of pediatrics through sponsored events, volunteer opportunities and early student exposure to mentoring with participating Lurie Children’s hospital physicians. Faculty advisers with expertise in pediatric research, hospital- and community-based medicine assist PIG student leaders in hosting an exciting year of various opportunities for participating medical students. Past events planned have included informative lunch talks with invited pediatric speakers, an annual medical student-pediatric faculty dinner event, student tours of Lurie Children’s and multiple shadowing opportunities.

The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Interest Group aims to increase awareness of the field of PM&R through mentorship, educational and volunteer opportunities, and serving as a resource to connect students to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The group seeks to satisfy the competencies of Continuous Learning and Quality Improvement and Systems Awareness and Team-Based Care.

The purpose of this group is to expose interested individuals to information and experience that is relevant to plastic surgery. Our mission will be to provide an accurate representation of the field and demonstrate that it is an innovative and essential specialty and the various ways that patient lives are impacted. We will engage the students in a rich community of PS faculty, residents and researchers and discusses issues relevant to plastic surgery. We will understand how advances to the field can be made and the nature of its collaboration with other medical specialties. Students who are a part of this group will have the opportunity to hear from, interact and network with faculty and gain special access to shadowing and research opportunities. They will also discover information about upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, subspecialties and how to maximize their resumes for the PS residency applications.      

The mission of the Psychiatry Interest Group (PIG) is to serve all students interested in psychiatry and mental health by providing relevant events including, but not limited to, talks, panels, workshops, shadowing opportunities, informal discussions with professors, and volunteering opportunities. In doing so, the group will offer a network that brings together students, residents, and attendings who share a common interest, allowing them to explore different topics in the fields of psychiatry. The goals of PIG are aligned with multiple points of Feinberg’s core competencies, such as Professional Behavior and Moral Reasoning, Patient-Centered Medical Care, Continuous Learning and Quality Improvement, Personal Awareness and Self-Care, and System Awareness and Team-Based Care.

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) Interest Group aims to create a structured interface between Feinberg School of Medicine faculty and students, allowing for early career exposure to these vitally important fields of medicine. The systemic pathology of respiratory disease is evident in both its medical presentation and societal distribution, and we aim to showcase the importance of patient-centered medical care in dealing with these challenges by connecting students with recurring shadowing opportunities. In addition to its close association with pulmonology, critical care medicine is intertwined with countless other medical and surgical specialties through specialized intensive care units. Accordingly, this group aims to appeal to students from all areas in medicine, allowing them to explore the exceptionally interdisciplinary nature of critical care medicine while deepening their understanding of team-based care. Building on these clinical exposures, this group will further the competencies of medical knowledge and scholarship by holding seminars and lunch talks with Northwestern Medicine research faculty. By engaging in professional development opportunities at these events, students will be able to form longitudinal mentoring relationships and acquire knowledge that will make them better physicians regardless of their ultimate choice of specialty.

Within medical school, preventive medicine is not well known as a healthcare discipline. To address this need in the medical student population, our group aims to: 1) to educate medical students about the field of preventive medicine; 2) to provide research and mentorship opportunities for students to become involved in this area. We aim to accomplish each of these respective goals by: 1) hosting talks on issues about preventive medicine and hosting panels from current preventive medicine physicians; 2) connecting interested students with faculty members in the field. We hope that through this organization we can bring more awareness and inspire career specific interests at the intersection of preventive medicine.

The Sports Medicine Interest Group provides opportunities for FSM students to gain early clinical exposure and a meaningful perspective on the field of sports medicine. Through physician panels and workshops, mentorship opportunities, and a variety of shadowing experiences, students will have the opportunity to learn from and work alongside sports medicine physicians trained in a variety of backgrounds. Whether in clinic, in the operating room or on the sidelines, students will gain a better understanding of the patient experience and the important role of sports medicine physicians in their care.                       

The Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) exists to foster interest and increase knowledge about the field of neurology. Through educational talks, resident and student interactions, and simulation events, SIGN enhances student’s knowledge and ability to perform the best quality patient-centered medical care, while also creating an atmosphere that builds teamwork, strong communication, and a focus on continuous self-learning.

The Students Interested in Nephrology Group (SING) seeks to foster excitement for nephrology amongst Feinberg School of Medicine students by providing early exposure to the field and by connecting students with physicians who have embarked upon this career path.

Surgical Society for the Underrepresented in Medicine (SSURM) is a student-run organization whose mission is to spotlight URM surgeons and support URM students interested in Surgical Specialties.  We seek to empower medical students to provide a voice for underrepresented students interested in surgery with a community of URM faculty, residents, and researchers to discuss relevant issues in surgery.

The mission and purpose of UIG-FSM is to generate interest in the fascinating field of urology, foster professional relationships with urology residents and attending physicians, and to educate the general FSM student body.

The Vascular Surgery Interest Group (VSIG) at Feinberg School of Medicine is a student group that focuses on providing a platform for career exploration, clinical and surgical observation, research, and discussion of the latest advances in vascular surgery. We will host speaker events, journal clubs, technical workshops, organize shadowing opportunities, and aid interested students in finding research mentors and projects within the Division of Vascular Surgery at Northwestern Medicine