Community Programs

VP&S has been a fixture of the Washington Heights-Inwood community for more than 70 years.

We seek to be a part of our neighborhood—not simply providing care, but integrating our faculty
and our students into the life of the community.

This vibrant neighborhood offers students the opportunity to work with a patient population that
is underserved, thereby helping to alleviate the healthcare disparities that confront minority,
immigrant, and poor populations. There are many opportunities to participate in the various
community education and community-building programs established by organizations within
the Washington Heights and Harlem community, as well as VP&S’ own community programs,
such as the Washington Heights Initiative, Columbia Student Medical Outreach (CoSMO),
and community-based research sponsored by the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.