Center for Community Engagement

Community engagement and service learning have been central to Samuel Merritt University's mission for more than a century. The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) brings together students, faculty, staff, and community partners to improve community health through education, service, research, and collaboration.

The CCE is also home to SMU’s Ethnic Health Institute .

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Create Healthier Communities

The Center approaches community engagement with a philosophy of “serving, not saving”—working alongside community partners to address locally identified needs with humility and respect. Equity is central to that work.

Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the Center integrates community-centered research and learning into the University experience. The Center prioritizes partnerships that support underserved and historically marginalized communities.

Engagement in Action

Explore how the Center for Community Engagement and the Ethnic Health Institute are making an impact across Northern California.

View our 2023 Center for Community Engagement & EHI Impact Report Here

The CCE offers:

Field trips, simulation labs, and events for underrepresented students interested in health careers
Free health services and health education in low-income communities
Clinical placements that support the medically underserved
Student volunteers at free clinics and vaccine sites
Lectures and talks by our expert faculty and leaders
And much more

Upcoming Engagement Opportunities

Special Olympics Fall Games (Nov 4th)
Peninsula Bridge Health Careers Workshop (Nov 13th)
Sacramento High School Health Club (Nov 15th)
Sacramento High School Health Club (Jan 17th)
Oakland Tech Career Day (Jan 19th)
CARE Human Trafficking Symposium (Jan 20th)

If you are interested in learning more about any of these events or participating as a volunteer, email Sam Alavi-Irvine, Founding Director of the CCE, at salavi@samuelmerritt.edu.

Our Mission

The Center fosters a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to community engagement that integrates community-centered research, teaching, and learning into all aspects of University life. The CCE aims to be a steadfast partner in creating healthier communities. This is accomplished by fostering holistic and sustained relationships with community partners and educating a future healthcare workforce that is prepared and committed to addressing health inequities and community needs.

The CCE builds on SMU’s extensive legacy of service to the community and reaffirms the University as part of the solution to the community’s most pressing needs by engaging students, staff, faculty, and alumni in this effort.