SMI Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Summer Medical Institute (SMI)
June 21 – July 12, 2025
OVERVIEW
A unique and intensive urban immersion program, SMI Philadelphia has trained Christian health profession students for over three decades to integrate their faith with the medical practice. During this three-week medical outreach, students will live and work in Hispanic North Philadelphia, gaining valuable experience while providing the useful service of door-to-door health screens, health education and improving access to care in the community. Through the program schedule and the critical input of faculty who teach, informally mentor and work alongside students, participants can develop their relationship with God and examine their role as Christians in medicine. The program partners with Esperanza Health Center, a Christian, federally qualified low-income health center with three locations in North Philadelphia.
Graduate students from all levels are welcome to apply. Undergraduates in a specific health care or pre-health care track may apply (juniors or seniors preferred), but should first contact the SMI Director at [email protected].
APPLICATION and PREPARATION
Please contact the SMI director at [email protected] if you have any questions.
If accepted to the Summer Medical Institute you will should be up to date on your current vaccinations, including Hepatitis B and COVID-19 and within one year of the program’s start date should also have a criminal background check for Pennsylvania if you live or go to school there OR complete the federal background check for those who are out of state. It’s good to start early to collect this information during the application process so that you may have it ready to submit if accepted.
COST
The student support for participating in SMI is $1750 including housing and most meals. Most students choose to raise support to cover this cost. If you choose to raise funds to cover this cost, we can provide sample letters, forms and guidelines to help you, and will provide direction and information throughout the process.
DETAILS
SMI Philadelphia offers:
- Urban medical outreach: In 2025 students will work together in teams in the urban environment, providing assistance for Esperanza Health Center as well as community medical outreach. They will provide door-to-door health screens for blood pressure, diabetes risk, diabetic foot neuropathy and obesity and provide educational information about hypertension, diabetes, HIV and nutrition while sharing the love of Christ through conversation and prayer with those they meet (see SMI Student FAQs).
- Education: Students will be provided with three and a half days of orientation and training at the start of the program. They will receive hands-on patient experience each working day. Each will also have an opportunity to shadow health care providers at Esperanza and observe an effective model of Christian primary care. In addition, students will have an opportunity to visit and volunteer with community-based organizations, learning multi-faceted approaches to address health needs and access. Third and fourth year medical students and other upper-level health care students may participate in SMI as an academic rotation, pending school approval and availability. Mentoring: Many Christian clinicians from all fields volunteer to work alongside the student teams on a rotating basis during the outreaches, as well as share meals and even join us occasionally during downtime activities. They will also teach students on topics relevant to medical practitioners during orientation, breakout teaching sessions (“Institute Days”), and the final “Return Training.”
- Discipleship: Small group Bible study, daily debriefing, twice-weekly teaching on biblical foundations, daily devotions and worship are integrated throughout the program. Through these, students are able to develop their relationship with God, learn to process and respond to the issues they encounter, and help develop a vision for their own career in health care.
- Community: As one participant said, “There are many layers of community in SMI!” and this is one of the invaluable parts of the program. Participants live, work and fellowship together during SMI and often develop close and meaningful relationships with one another and with our faculty. Students also learn to know the local community, and work in partnership with area churches, who provide follow up to those who request it. SMI participants come to know people in the community by meeting them in their neighborhoods, in the clinic, in the churches and on the streets.
To read the student blog click here.
SMI Training Videos
Gabe Wang-Herrera - June 20, 2022
Community Perspectives
Pastor Gabe Wang-Herrera shares different lessons learned from ministry in the city for the 2022 SMI students.
More From "SMI Training Videos"
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Supporting SMI
All giving for SMI goes through the home office of Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF) in Memphis, TN. The Philadelphia Summer Medical Institute has 501(c)(3) status as a ministry of CCHF. A year-end tax statement from CCHF will be sent after the New Year for all SMI general and student support donations. Every gift marked for SMI will be used for SMI only and will not go to the general use of CCHF.
Online giving is the preferred method of sending in donations.
SMI General Donations
Friends of SMI and MCO from all over the world donate to the program each year to help support the work we will be doing. These funds are separate from the Student Participant funds and help to cover the costs of running the program.
SMI Participant Support
Each student participant is responsible to raise their own funds for the cost of the trip. The payment information on this page includes what is needed to give SMI student participant donations. Students can share this info with family and friends who might want to help support their trip.
Online Payment
Whether through the website or through PayPal, CCHF only accepts debit or credit card payments.
Via CCHF Website (https://www.cchf.org/donate)
When filling out the website form you first need to select whether you are giving One-time or Monthly in the “Support the Mission of CCHF” section of the page. After putting in your contact info, you will need to select either “SMI Philadelphia – general fund” or “SMI – designated fund” (for student support) from the drop-down Donation Purpose list. After that, in the comments box, you will need to add “SMI Giving” for general donations or the student participant name (i.e. “SMI 2025 John Doe”) if you a supporting a student.
Via PayPal
On the first screen select your donation purpose, “SMI General Fund” or “SMI designated” (for student support) from the drop-down list. You also have the option to cover the processing fees – you will see the total reflected when you add your payment info. After entering your dollar amount and selecting any optional boxes, you can either log in to your PayPal account to use your saved payment methods or, if you do not wish to log in, select the option to “Donate with a Debit or Credit Card” below the PayPal login button. On the screen where you are putting in your card information, you have the option to expand the “+ Detail Donation Purpose Here” comment box. Add “SMI Giving” for general support or the student participant name (i.e. “SMI 2025 John Doe”) for designated student donations.
Mailing a Check
We also accept donations via check. Make the check payable to “Christian Community Health Fellowship” and include either “SMI Giving” for general donations or the SMI participant’s name in the memo line (ex. “SMI 2025 John Doe”) to support a specific student. You can mail a donation for SMI at the following address (Yes! Checks go to Memphis, TN, the HQ for CCHF):
MCO c/o CCHF
PO Box 111288
Memphis, TN 38111-1288
Church Partnerships
There is a multitude of ways area churches can get involved in SMI Philly. If you have an idea that’s not listed here, please feel free to get in touch with the SMI Director, via the form on this page.
Hands-On Ways for Partner Churches to Serve SMI Students and Faculty
- Prayer – Pray for SMI before, during, and after our three weeks in North Philly.
- Meals – Provide dinner for the SMI team (either cooking at home and bringing to where the SMI team will be staying or cooking at the SMI house with SMI-purchased food).
- Community – Provide community outreach through the SMI project by participating/partnering with SMI; follow up with contacts made during SMI after the program has completed.
- Housing – Provide housing for out-of-town faculty (Christian healthcare professionals who join the SMI team for part or all of the three weeks to provide leadership and mentoring to the students). This would include providing breakfast for faculty, but the SMI team would provide lunch and dinner.