Differentiate yourself at NEOMED
Explore potential intellectual and career paths while earning badges that demonstrate your expertise and help set you apart.
Earn badges as you gain experience
Achieve distinction and greater skill through our badging program.
We now offer a pioneering program that awards badges to recognize and celebrate students who demonstrate exceptional initiative by acquiring extracurricular, specialized knowledge and skills in areas of focus.
The program allows you to shape your medical education in line with your passions and career goals. Badges are awarded to demonstrate your interest and accomplishments in specific areas.
By engaging in this innovative program, you will enhance your professional development and set yourself apart as a versatile and distinguished leader. Badges should be listed as part of your curriculum vita and will be acknowledged in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation.
Learning communities
Three learning communities will award the badges.
- The Health, Education, Advocacy and Leadership Badges will help you develop of competency in serving rural and urban communities. Please contact HEALBadges@neomed.edu for more information
- The Oak Badge for Medical Humanism will help demonstrate compassion, empathy, and patient-centered care by fostering skills, knowledge, and engagement in the arts and humanities. Please contact HUMANISMbadge@neomed.edu for more information
- The Research and Scholarship Badge will instill in you the process of critical thinking and reinforcement of the pathophysiological basis of disease. Contact: researchbadges@neomed.edu.
Badges offered
Rural Medicine
The Rural Medicine (RMED) program is great opportunity to learn the nuances of rural practice, patients and populations.
Patient Advocacy and Community Health
The Patient Advocacy and Community Health (PACH) program trains students in compassionate care for all patients.
Urban Primary Care Practice
The Urban Primary Care Practice (UPCP) program enhances the student experience with a focus on urban primary care, as well as unique health challenges of urban areas.
Medical Spanish Essentials
The Medical Spanish (MSE) program is designed to help students communicate effectively with Spanish-speaking patients and understand when to enlist a professional translator if their skills are insufficient.
Oak Badge for Medical Humanism
The Oak Badge for Medical Humanism (MedHum) recognizes students who demonstrate compassion, empathy, and patient-centered care. Committed to educating the whole physician to treat the whole patient, the Oak Badge’s mission is to develop a co-curricular arts and health humanities learning community to promote humanism in medicine by: (1) Engaging the fine arts to promote empathy and enhance clinical skills; (2) Encouraging critical thinking rooted in humanities methodologies (e.g., ethics, literary analysis, narrative medicine, and medical history); and (3) Cultivating a community of medical students and faculty committed to compassionate, patient-centered care and physician wellness. As the program evolves, additional activities will offer opportunities for students to deepen their commitment to humanism in medicine and develop holistic patient care approaches.
Research and Scholarship
Research and Scholarship will offer unique opportunities to earn points for research activities like presentations, training, peer review and writing papers.
Four badge levels
Badges are progressive in nature, reflecting accretive skill, knowledge and engagement:
- Bronze (100 points): You demonstrate interest and accomplishment.
- Silver (150 points): You demonstrate interest and accomplishment through continuous engagement.
- Gold (350 points): You demonstrate a high level of interest and substantial accomplishments as exhibited by advanced participation and commitment.
- Platinum (500 points): You demonstrate a very high level of engagement and performance, and outstanding participation in critical thinking activities such as service, experiential education and scholarly work.
Get started
The badges are digital, and they will be managed and assessed through CampusGroups.
You can explore one or both learning communities and begin to earn badges. There is no application/selection process and you can start now to pursue a bronze badge. Those who demonstrate sustained engagement will be eligible for greater distinction.
How to start:
- If you are interested in the Rural Medicine, Patient Advocacy, Urban Primary Care, or Medical Spanish opportunities, email HEALbadges@neomed.edu.
- If you are interested in the Oak Badge for Medical Humanism opportunity, email HUMANISMbadge@neomed.edu
- If you are interested in the Research and Scholarship opportunity, email researchbadges@neomed.edu or talk with any faculty member in our Biomedical Sciences Department.
Additional considerations
- Badges may be viewed favorably by those overseeing residency programs. However, please note that residency programs, as a collective, have yet to publicly address the relative value of badges as a measure of achievement.
- Current Pathway students (Classes of 2025-27): Your past activity will be fully honored. All criteria will be the same, though adjusted for additional tiers: apprentice, associate, fellow, scholar and distinguished scholar.
Propose a new badge
New badge programs are welcome but must have a faculty leader. New badges must be proposed and vetted by College of Medicine leadership and current learning community leaders to ensure credit for badges is awarded equitably and fairly. Contact Doug Moses, M.D., Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs at dmoses@neomed.edu for more information.