The Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP) is a student driven initiative to create opportunities to learn about and participate in health equity work through reflections on service-learning, seminar discussions and an immersion experience in Detroit. This will encompass participation in monthly seminars investigating the multi-factorial reality of poverty, observation and evaluation of successful community programs, and service experiences at multiple locations in the Southeastern Michigan. Students who are accepted into this program will be required to participate in community service experiences of their choosing, which we will then reflect upon as a group. Allowing students to choose their own experiences will allow for greater commitment on the individual student’s part, as well as greater breadth of discussion.

Small discussion-based seminars will be scheduled monthly.  They are designed to supplement the service work, avoiding theory and abstraction, and focusing rather on the grounded, tangible knowledge and experiences of students and visiting speakers. For these seminar discussions a meal will be provided to be shared with the guest expert in an effort to encourage a discussion style format where the participants will be better able to ask questions and engage in the exchange of information.

HESP will also complete site visits to community-engaged organizations such as FQHCs and other community organizing centers.

Site-visits are essential for our members to gain exposure to successful organizations that are working towards improving health equity. Survey data from previous years shows site visits to be one of the most impactful aspects of HESP. Site-visits also facilitate networking and mentorship between students and administrators at the facilities. Such relationships have developed into research projects and independent site-visits from HESP members.

Finally, student members will participate in volunteerism through their own efforts or through the medical school's existing programs.