About

Community Advancement Defined

Community advancement in the College of Medicine is defined as a strategic and proactive approach to intentional efforts to foster strong connections, support collaborative relationships, and promote engagement. Community advancement is aimed at empowering individuals and enhancing contributions to communities both internal and external to the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Ultimately, our office seeks to create an environment where all members of the College of Medicine feel valued and empowered to contribute to collective progress in the tripartite mission of education, research, and service.

Our Mission

The Office of Community Advancement is committed to fostering a supportive and collaborative environment within the College of Medicine. We lead efforts to engage faculty, staff, learners, and trainees in advancing community empowerment, pathway programs, regional engagement, transdisciplinary and collaborative training programs, and recruitment and retention via building community and connections.

Our Strategic Focus Areas

The College of Medicine Office of Community Advancement is committed to creating a more connected, collaborative, and community-focused environment. You can read more about each of our strategic focus areas below.

The Office of Community Advancement supports impactful projects that address and meet the needs of the community. These programs emphasize collaboration, empowering the community, and creating meaningful change by addressing social determinants of health.

The Office of Community Advancement offers transdisciplinary training programs that foster interconnectedness, collaboration, and professional development. These programs have an emphasis on mentoring, training, and education and aim to foster the development of the next generation of scholars while providing robust opportunities for faculty.

The College of Medicine comprises four campuses:

The Office of Community Advancement collaborates with regional campus constituents to develop and implement programs and initiatives to serve the unique needs of each campus.

The College of Medicine offers pathway opportunities at varying levels of education, from middle school through undergraduate studies. Each program includes unique activities that aid in preparing students for a career in medicine. These programs include the Building Excellence and Achievement in Medicine (BEAM) Program (middle schoolers), UK Careers in Health Care Internship Program (high schoolers), PEPP Scholars (rising college freshmen), PEPP MD (rising college sophomores), and UKMED (rising college juniors).

The Office of Community Advancement strives to foster a sense of community for all members of the College of Medicine. OCA provides support and resources for learners, trainees, faculty, and staff to build community and enhance connections within the College of Medicine and beyond.

OCA supports departments through the Community Advancement Ambassadors program, through which each department at the College of Medicine can appoint a faculty or staff member to lead community advancement efforts within that department. Ambassadors are eligible to apply for funding for departmental initiatives and attend monthly meetings and semi-annual retreats.