Shade Tree Clinic, a Vanderbilt University School of Medicine medical student-run clinic, is marking two decades of providing comprehensive medical care to uninsured individuals in Nashville, having served more than 4,000 patients since opening in September 2005. Medical students volunteer more than 10,000 hours annually leading the clinic’s operations, with more than 90 percent of all VUSM medical students volunteering in some form at the clinic during their years at the institution.
The clinic evolved from its initial walk-in model into a primary care medical home serving nearly 300 uninsured adult and adolescent patients. Currently, 268 adults and 26 adolescents receive medical care, connections to social services, pro bono legal consultations, referrals to specialty care including mental health, and health education. The clinic averages 75-80 primary care visits monthly, with specialty clinic visits as needed. Medical students collaborate with nursing, pharmacy, dietetic, social work, law, and genetic counseling students and faculty.
Expanded Services and Holistic Care
Fourteen specialty clinics are now offered: pediatrics, dermatology, gastroenterology, gynecology, neurology, sleep medicine, ophthalmology, retinal screening, physical therapy/orthopaedics, urology, psychiatry, rheumatology, ultrasound, and weight and metabolism. The clinic is unique among U.S. medical student-run clinics in having an on-site dispensary operated by pharmacy, medical, and nursing students and overseen by a licensed pharmacist, allowing patients to pick up medications free of charge. More than 300 common medications are maintained in the dispensary.
Beyond medical care, the clinic provides psychosocial assessments through a licensed clinical social worker and connects patients to resources addressing food insecurity, housing, mental health issues, and trauma. The clinic also hosts a swim school, community vegetable garden initiatives, and holiday food drives. Through the Middle Tennessee Medical-Legal Partnership, two attorneys set up shop at Shade Tree Clinic monthly to address patients’ unmet needs for civil legal services.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://news.vumc.org/2025/09/25/made-in-the-shade-tree-clinic-medical-student-run-clinic-celebrates-two-decades-of-transforming-lives/