Support Services

The medical school has services in place to support your physical, spiritual and emotional well-being, as well as many programs to help you academically and socially. Our goal is to ease your journey through medical school so your experience will be as comfortable and fulfilling as possible. If we can’t help you ourselves, we will refer you to the individual or office that can.

Support Services

Yale Health Plan: 55 Lock Street, http://yalehealth.yale.edu/. Whether or not you have chosen to purchase the hospitalization piece of the Yale Health Plan, Basic Coverage is offered at no charge and includes preventive health and medical services in the departments of Mental Health & Counseling, Student Health, Gynecology, and Health Education. In addition, treatment for urgent medical problems can be obtained twenty-four hours a day through Acute Care.
You may consult with Mental Health & Counseling about problems related to mood, coping, relationships, stress, anxiety, etc. You may go directly to Yale Health or call to make an appointment.
Mental Health & Counseling Services (203) 432-0290
Urgent Care (203) 432-0123 open 24 hours a day
Student Health Department (203) 432-0312
Substance Abuse Counselor, Maury Steigman (203) 432-7366
Office of Student Affairs: Dean Nancy Angoff (203) 737-2169 or cell phone (203) 606-1707, is available at any time to speak with you regarding any problems whether they are of a personal, academic or career nature. Dr. Angoff does not serve as a personal counselor to you but will work closely with you to make sure that you are directed to and receive the help that you need.
Peer Advocate Program: Overview
The Peer Advocates program was created to provide students with non-threatening peer listeners who are available at any time of day or night, to confidentially discuss strategies, reality-test, brainstorm solutions when encountered with challenging personal, academic, or professional situations and point students in the direction of appropriate resources.

Program History
The Peer Advocate program was created in 2000 by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and several medical students. The primary goal of the program was to provide students with accessible and non-threatening trained peer listeners who could also facilitate access to support services such as medical care, counseling, and resources to aid victims of sexual harassment and assault.

Meet Your Peer Advocates

We are medical students chosen by our classmates during the first year of medical school for being approachable, trustworthy, mature, thoughtful and discerning - qualities that hopefully allow us to be good listeners and trusted confidants. The nomination process does not permit campaigning. We serve our fellow students for the duration of medical school.

Contact Information:
Wardah Athar, YSM V
Corey Horien, YSM V (MD/PhD)
Eduardo Fleischer, YSM IV
Kristina Klara, YSM IV
Kristina Brown, YSM III
Ryan Handoko, YSM III
Laura van Dyck, YSM III
Chris Chow, YSM II
June Criscione, YSM II
Kelechi Umoga, YSM II
Disabilities Services: The Office of Student Affairs at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) works closely with Yale's Student Accessibility Services to support students with a wide range of disabilities, of differing severity levels.

Read more about Yale School of Medicine’s strong commitment to support students with disabilities.
SHARE: Information, Advocacy, and Support: http://sharecenter.yale.edu/
SHARE, the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education Center, is a primary Yale resource. The SHARE Center is located on the Lower Level of Yale Health and students can walk in 9-5:00 weekdays. They can also call SHARE to schedule a daytime appointment. Trained counselors are also available after hours, holidays and weekends via their direct hotline, to speak with students, their supporters, or other community members with questions or concerns. These conversations are kept completely confidential; callers do not even need to give their names. Along with providing support, SHARE Counselors have crucial information about medical, legal, and disciplinary options, and help callers make their own decisions about how to proceed. For Yale students who do choose to take legal or disciplinary action, SHARE Counselors can facilitate those processes and serve as advocates. SHARE works closely with the Yale Police Department as well as the various disciplinary boards SHARE: Information, Advocacy, and Support. 24-hour confidential/anonymous hotline (203) 432-2000
Yale School of Medicine Title IX Coordinators: The Title IX Coordinators are responsible for protecting students from sex discrimination. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other forms of misconduct. The University is committed to providing an environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex. Title IX Coordinators can resolve complaints and assist with formal remedies. The Title IX Coordinators do not conduct formal hearings but may investigate complaints and work with the complainant and the respondent to achieve resolution of the complaint. The Deputy School of Medicine Title IX Coordinators are:

Cindy Crusto,
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
203.789.7645

Rosemarie Fisher,
Professor of Medicine, Director of Resident/Fellow Well-being
203.688.1449;
Graduate Medical Education Hotline:
203.688.2277

Darin Latimore,
Deputy Dean and Chief Diversity Officer
203.785.6896

Merle Waxman,
Associate Dean and Ombudsperson
203.785.4680;
Confidential Line: 203.737.4100
Office of the Ombudsperson: Confidential line (203) 737-4100. The Ombuds Office is a neutral and safe resource within YSM where students can bring issues with which they are concerned. Merle Waxman, the Ombudsperson, will help find solutions, options and strategies for dealing with a particular concern or complaint, refer to other resources and advocates, and mediate or facilitate conversations between two or more people or groups. Merle Waxman is also the Title IX Coordinator for the School of Medicine who can help with issues related to gender inequality.
The University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC): (203) 432-1834; http://provost.yale.edu/uwc. The UWC on Sexual Misconduct is available to answer informal inquiries and fairly and expeditiously address formal and informal complaints of sexual misconduct across the entire Yale community. Through the Provost’s Office, it is comprised of faculty, administrative, and student representatives drawn from throughout the University, including YSM. Core UWC members (listed on the UWC website) are available for exploratory conversations or to receive complaints.
Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement and Equity: Darin Latimore, MD, Deputy Dean and Chief Diversity Office can be reached at darin.latimore@yale.edu or (203) 785-7278. The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement and Equity (DICE) works to foster a community that embraces diversity and respects all voices.
Office for Women in Medicine: Yale is unique among American medical schools in having an Office for Women in Medicine that serves as a resource clearinghouse to address the concerns of women from all sectors of the medical school. More information can be at https://medicine.yale.edu/owm/.

Services offered by the office include:

Providing advisors and mentors to female students, house staff and faculty.

Bringing women distinguished in the medical sciences to campus as mentors and teachers.

Facilitating access by students to professional women in an informal setting.

Sponsoring workshops and seminars on professional development and career opportunities for women in medicine and the sciences.

Serving as a catalyst for the discussion and resolution of issues of concern to the medical school community.
Chaplain's Office: Sharon M.K. Kugler, Yale University Chaplain (203) 432-1128; http://chaplain.yale.edu. The Chaplain's Office provides connections to a variety of religious and spiritual communities on campus and in New Haven, lively interfaith programming, as well as confidential conversations about any topic (religious or not) and resources for students who are grieving. Please contact Associate University Chaplain Jenny Peek at jennifer.peek@yale.edu for assistance.
Office of LGBTQ Resources (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer): Maria Trumpler, Director, (203) 432-0309; maria.trumpler@yale.edu; http://lgbtq.yale.edu/. This office offers programming for grad-prof students every weekday including discussions of relationships and wellness, Queer Yoga, political discussions and affinity groups. Queer Peers counseling is also available for professional students by students in other professional schools.
The Office of International Student Services: The Office of International Student Services can help international students with immigration regulations, visa issues and other matters. More information can be found on the OISS web site at http://oiss.yale.edu/. Walk-in or call anytime. There is always an advisor on-call to assist during regular business hours. Call (203) 432-2305 or email questions to oiss@yale.edu
GSA Legal Aid: http://gsa.yale.edu/resources/ask-lawyer. Services and resources for graduate students with legal needs. Two options are available:

1) Ask-A-Lawyer Sessions - Each month during the academic year meet with volunteer lawyers from the New Haven Bar Association for a one-on-one consultation. Please check the GSA website for updates on the upcoming dates.

2) Free Referral Service - A list of lawyers who have agreed to offer a free consultation to students is available. Please email GSAS Assistant Dean Richard Sleight for access to the list.