NLVS runs a hybrid tutoring program for grades K-12 in any subject, tutored by medical school and undergraduate students from universities around Chicago.
The UIC College of Medicine Chapter of NLVS runs regular community service events throughout the year.
Medical students can volunteer at South Loop Community Table (SLCT), a weekly event for unhoused folks in Chicago’s South Loop and surrounding neighborhoods. While offering a meal and coffee, SLCT’s main goal is to create a space where people can build community — to be known and respected for who they are. There are board games and karaoke, as well as holiday parties and birthday celebrations. NLVS volunteers serve food or coffee, help with set up or tear down, greet and play games with community members, and other tasks that are needed.
The Feinberg Medical School chapter of NLVS organizes events in collaboration with the I Am Abel Foundation, a group which helps Chicago kids reach their dreams by sponsoring medical and scholarship programs and events to pursue their education and careers. At an event hosted in collaboration with Feinberg’s Student National Medical Association, local students from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine discussed clinical and ethical cases with current Feinberg students.
NLVS volunteers also participate in health education efforts, such as this partnership between the Feinberg chapter volunteers and the Women’s Dermatologic Society, where they provided free skin cancer screenings to athletes at the Chicago Triathlon.
In 2023, the Northwestern Undergraduate board piloted MED PALS (Medical Education and Discovery with Peer-Assisted Leadership Skills), a program that seeks to pair up Chicago high school students, undergraduate students, and medical students to serve as mentorship for those interested in pursuing careers in healthcare. The older students are able to provide advice on the college application process, and the steps to pursuing a career in the health sciences or medicine. This program consists of both 1-on-1 mentor sessions as well as group workshops on skills like college application preparation, medical techniques, or health career panels. As of 2024, MED PALS is being expanded to encompass all other NLVS chapters.
