A stronger EVMS learning community leads to a healthier Hampton Roads. That’s why our students don’t just learn to care for patients. They also develop the mindset and skills of service learning and caring for an entire community — particularly for those who might go without medical care, such as underserved minorities. Through service learning initiatives such as the only student-run, free medical clinic in Norfolk which features specialized care in women’s health and Spanish-language clinic hours, EVMS students develop a clear sense of the community’s needs and their responsibility to meet them. They also develop compassion for patients and their families, and learn interdisciplinary problem solving.

Research that develops lifesaving and life-improving treatments and techniques for our region and country’s most significant public health challenges.

At EVMS, our research priorities are guided by the needs of our patients. From cancer to diabetes, infertility to COVID-19, we look at the challenges our communities face—and the treatments the patients in our system need most—and get to work. Through basic science that leads to scientific breakthroughs and clinical and population-based research that test new care models and improve patient outcomes, we have the potential to move the needle on public health in Hampton Roads—and beyond.

Every year we work to evaluate, strengthen, and expand service-learning opportunities for our students and programs that reach our communities directly. We design and implement programs for underserved populations who may not have access to other healthcare resources, educate our community on disease prevention and care, and bring our students out to support clinics and health outreach where the need is greatest.

This is just one reason that EVMS is recognized as one of the most community-focused medical schools in the nation, and that’s an honor and privilege we never plan to lose.

Our students come to EVMS because they are smart, caring and driven. They want an outstanding medical education shaped and powered by a uniquely community-connected program. Their remarkable academic and career successes are built upon the experiences they accumulate as they interact with the residents of Hampton Roads. More than eight in 10 of our students rely on financial aid and still incur heavy debt loads: on average, $85,000 for health professions students and $250,000 for medical students. Your support for scholarships will help us attract the best, most diverse and most deserving students to EVMS.