About Us
A student-led, faculty-supported spring break service-immersion trip designed for medical students to engage deeply with underserved rural communities in Appalachia. Drawing inspiration from Boston College’s APPA Volunteers program, which mobilizes over 400 students for meaningful service experiences annually, our initiative seeks to integrate non-clinical service, cultural immersion in an underserved and diverse community, and reflective practice by working with community organizations to meet and support local members and leaders. With meetings on reflection, discussion, and didactics about the history and lived experiences of rural America combined with the culmination of a trip in the 2025-2026 school year, we hope to create genuine encounters and dialogue to break down barriers, fostering mutual understanding and respect across a broad range of identities. ||By directly engaging with Appalachian communities, students will have the opportunity to challenge preconceived notions and biases, build authentic relationships, and experience firsthand the power of conversation in bridging cultural, socioeconomic, and ideological differences. This program aims to deepen students’ understanding of the differences and disparities faced by Appalachian communities, foster a sustained commitment to service, and align with our institution’s mission to cultivate compassionate, socially responsible physicians. This program explicitly embraces diversity and interfaith perspectives, emphasizing inclusive community-building and respectful dialogue across varied backgrounds, traditions, and belief systems. By engaging with underserved rural communities in Appalachia, the program embodies the call to recognize the inherent worth of every individual and to stand alongside those who are marginalized. Furthermore, the trip is guided by Ignatian spirituality, emphasizing reflection, discernment, and finding love in all things. Through daily reflections and communal experiences, participants are encouraged to contemplate their roles as future physicians committed to justice and compassionate care. Participants will engage in direct community service, communal activities, and structured reflections designed to highlight both the shared human experiences and the rich diversity of cultural and religious identities within Appalachia. This holistic approach ensures the trip not only deepens students’ awareness of socioeconomic disparities but also actively promotes mutual understanding, appreciation, and cooperation across differences.
Who We Are
- Cristina Cusmai, cristina.cusmai@icahn.mssm.edu
- Faculty/Staff Advisor: David Muller, david.muller@mssm.edu
Note: All students are welcome to join any Mount Sinai student organization.