Medical Students Making Impacts (MSMI) is a student run organization since 2001, which is dedicated to educating current and future medical professionals about global health through exposure, involvement and service. By forging long-lasting sustainable relationships with medically underserved communities, MSMI inspires medical students and doctors to recognize their potential in a world of health need.

We fundraise through grant writing to foundations and individuals, and provide other resources necessary to implement specific projects within these communities. Our medical missions have spanned the globe from Africa to Central America to right here in the United States. Our current missions are a women’s health/surgical service trip to San Pedro Sula, Honduras and a public health/geriatric care trip to the Mexican border-town of Nogales, Arizona.

Students and doctors work continuously with healthcare providers in these communities and travel there each Spring Vacation to execute community health projects. In the past five years, the surgical teams have provided free operative care to over 200 patients, who would otherwise be unable to afford them. Meanwhile, this year, the public health team organized Nogales, AZ’s very first Senior Health Fair, providing medical screening and healthcare information to Santa Cruz County’s growing, yet sadly marginalized, elderly population.

In addition to medical service trips, MSMI also works with the Mount Sinai Global Health Office, to provide a year-long Global Health Career series highlighting the exciting career opportunities for global health physicians. Moreover, global health discussion series are held to provide a forum for reflecting on current controversies in Global Health. Past topics have included the efficacy of public interventions against malaria and the case for medical missions.