At Bryn Mawr, learning about the science and practice of medicine is not limited to the classrooms and labs. Learning opportunities are presented to you by engaging with your fellow students on campus, and by engaging with the greater community beyond campus.

Learning from Fellow Students
If you wish to explore a medical issue or specialty area in depth, you can join one of the many topic-oriented groups formed by students who share similar interests. For example, recent interest groups have focused on emergency and wilderness medicine, geriatrics, infectious diseases, integrative medicine, international health, neurology and psychiatry, palliative care and pain management, pediatrics, public health, sports medicine, veterinary medicine, and women’s issues in medicine.
Typical topic-oriented group activities led by students have included organizing field trips to various medical institutions in the region, inviting speakers from the medical community for informal discussions on campus, and forming journal clubs to discuss the latest advances reported in the medical literature as well as trends in various specialty areas.

Learning from Leaders
Bryn Mawr sponsors a series of lectures that bring prominent physicians, researchers and policy makers to campus as guest speakers. Recent lecturers have included French physician Jean-Christophe Rufin, a former leader of Doctors Without Borders; Harold Shapiro, president emeritus of Princeton University and one of the nation’s most prominent authorities on bioethics; Maxine Singer, president of the Carnegie Institute of Washington and a pioneer in recombinant gene research; and Shirley Tilghman, president of Princeton University and renowned molecular biologist.

Learning by Doing
Bryn Mawr College’s proximity and easy access to Philadelphia-area medical facilities afford you numerous opportunities to volunteer in a medical setting. This experience will not only enrich your postbac year, it also is a powerful way to demonstrate your commitment to the delivery of health care as you apply to medical school. Our students have gained valuable first-hand knowledge and experience at a variety of impressive medical institutions, including Action AIDS, Catholic Worker Free Clinic, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, ElderNet, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the New Bolton Veterinary Center, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Jeff HOPE, the network of community health clinics at Thomas Jefferson University.