A Message from the Dean 

We are approaching the end of yet another year, one that has certainly been memorable at CMSRU. When we look back on 2013, it's easy to count our successes -- more students, an enhanced curriculum, and innovative uses for our physical spaces, just to name a few. The addition of 64 aspiring physicians, bringing the student body total to 114, meant that a greater number of you were called upon for direct involvement in undergraduate medical education. Whether facilitating or advising small groups, presenting to our students en masse, mentoring students in patient care during Ambulatory Clerkship or Week on the Wards, or working behind the scenes as a member of one of our various committees, your dedication, enthusiasm and professionalism continue to be remarkable. You are positively impacting the experiences of our students, and for that I thank you.

Next year will be another very important one at CMSRU - here are some of the highlights:

• In the fall, we will become the first medical school in the country to offer an exciting and innovative clerkship in an urban environment to its entire third year class as the Charter Class enters the Cooper Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (CLIC).
• The addition of 72 students in August will bring our student body to 186, nearly half of our planned capacity of around 400.
• Our faculty and students will soon have additional educational, office, and wellness space as the fit out of the 4th floor is completed late in the year.
• We are moving forward with the next step of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education's (LCME) accreditation process with the database submission and site visit for our Provisional Accreditation. Nearly 3,000 pages of documents were submitted in mid-December outlining our educational plans. In March 2014, a team from the LCME will spend four days at CMSRU conducting a site visit where they will review progress toward implementation of the educational program and the status of planning for later stages of the accreditation.

As we welcome the New Year, I invite you to reaffirm your commitment to CMSRU. Together, will continue to educate the kind of physicians we will want to care for our own families in the future.

My very best wishes to you and your loved ones for the holidays and New Year - may you be healthy and happy!

Every other week, several CMSRU students don aprons and deliver plates filled with hot, homemade, nutritious meals to hundreds of guests. But this is not a typical restaurant, and the students are not working as waiters and waitresses to help pay their medical school expenses. This is Cathedral Kitchen, where Camden's poorest residents of all ages - the homeless, the jobless, those with disabilities or addiction problems, the working poor -- are served a hearty evening meal. CMSRU students are their volunteer servers.  

"I chose this as my Service Learning experience because I truly enjoy the one-to-one interaction I am able to have with the guests," explains CMSRU student Sherri English (M2), who usually works at the table designated for families. "I feel blessed to have the opportunity to serve people this way. I also like that I am helping to reduce hunger, at least for a day."

Located just one mile from CMSRU, Cathedral Kitchen has been a popular site for the students' service learning. The organization has been serving meals to the poor and hungry of Camden for nearly four decades. What began as a simple ministry offering soup and sandwiches to a few people in need has grown into the largest emergency food provider in the city. In 2012 alone, Cathedral Kitchen provided over 232,000 meals.