Welcome

Chicago Medical School is committed to enhancing the learning environment and well-being of its students. We provide a challenging academic experience for our students and support their success through the House and Learning Community Program.

In the fall of 2011, Chicago Medical School established the House and Learning Community Program to facilitate the development of students in a collaborative academic culture. The learning communities provide CMS students with a familiar group of peers that lasts throughout medical school.

The program enhances the learning environment and success of medical students through longitudinal peer interactions and engagement with faculty. The program provides medical students a familiar cohort for the duration of their medical school experience. It facilitates the development of trust and collaboration among the medical student body. The program also supports student efforts to adapt to and succeed in the culture of medicine in general and medical education in particular.

The program includes four Houses that link sixteen learning communities across the four years of medical school, connecting students in a network of faculty and fellow students with varying interests and levels of experience. 

Under the leadership of a physician faculty mentor, approximately 48 students (one-fourth of each medical school class) develop trust and help one another adapt to the culture of medicine. Mentors are expected to serve a term of four years. Each Learning Community Mentor supports student efforts to succeed personally and professionally.

Vision

The House and Learning Community Program seek to strengthen the medical student experience through dynamic, engaged, and relationship-centered communities for curricular and co-curricular learning and development.

Mission

The mission of the House and Learning Community Program is to enhance the learning environment and success of medical students through curricular and co-curricular learning and engagement with faculty.  

 Objectives

• Provide medical students a familiar cohort for the duration of their medical school experience.
• Facilitate the development of trust and collaboration among the medical student body.
• Support student efforts to adapt to and succeed in the culture of medicine in general and medical education in particular.
• Provide students with a broad range of resources for learning, advising, support, teamwork, and community engagement.

The four houses of the House and Learning Community Program are named after the following four distinguished alumni of Chicago Medical School:

• Emanuel House, named after Fannie Emanuel, MD '15
• Portes House, named after Caesar Portes, MD '28
• Lipschultz House, named after Herbert Lipschultz, MD '48
• Finkel House, named after Marion Finkel, MD '52

The sixteen learning communities are named after their mentors from matriculation through graduation. The learning communities are structured contexts for advising, mentoring, social support, learning, and reflection.

A typical student gains membership in a house and learning committee during orientation for first-year medical students and retains the house and learning community affiliation throughout medical school. Each house has approximately 192 students from the four years of medical school, including approximately 48 students from each class.

Each House has four faculty mentors who also practice in the local community. The learning community mentors were selected through the Rosalind Franklin University personnel hiring process. The sixteen learning community mentors are diligent in supporting student efforts to succeed personally, academically, and professionally. Our mentors help students achieve balance in their lives as they grow in medical school.