Religion and Spirituality

Since coming to WashU, I’ve found many wonderful opportunities for Christian community both in and outside the medical school. At WashU, I’ve enjoyed going to the Christian Medical Association (CMA)’s weekly gatherings, where we hear physicians and other health care professionals share about their journeys and how their faith relates to medicine. It’s always a warm and encouraging space. The group includes students from OT, PT, and Social Work programs as well, which I appreciate. I’ve also attended some very stimulating dinner discussions through the Carver Project, which fosters dialogue around contemporary issues. Outside of WashU, there are many good churches of various denominations that students can plug into. A couple of classmates and I visited churches together at the start of the school year which was a lot of fun. Committing to a local church community has been a great way to meet people from the broader St. Louis community as well. Amidst the stress of medical school, it’s been good to be immersed in rhythms of rest and worship, prayer and breaking bread, laughter, learning, and service.

Coming from the Northeast, which has a really large Jewish population, I was apprehensive about what sort of Jewish life there would be in St. Louis and at WashU. I definitely did not expect there to be nearly as many events as there have been! Having only been in St. Louis for three months, I’ve already been to a ton of Jewish events and it’s been incredibly easy to connect with other Jewish students in the medical school and in the St. Louis area. Chabad Central West End (CWE) hosts dinners for the high holidays and has events every week such as babka-making classes, barbecues, and rooftop networking sessions. Rabbi Yossi and Goldie who run Chabad CWE are incredibly kind and welcoming and have really made my transition to being Jewish in St. Louis much easier by inviting me out to coffee and inviting new Jewish students to events at their home. Also, WashU Med itself has the Jewish Medical Student Association (JMSA), which has hosted a bunch of events such as Shabbat dinners and yoga sessions. Ultimately, you will not find a more welcoming and better place to be a Jewish medical student than in St. Louis at WashU.

Growing up in the Atlanta suburbs, I had a spectrum of experiences as a Muslim and hijabi, but I was still a little worried that St. Louis, Missouri might be a harder place to find community and resources as a Muslim. After moving here though, I was pleasantly surprised. There are many mosques in St. Louis, some major ones being the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis (a 25-minute drive out), and Masjid Bilal on Saint Louis University’s campus (much closer to WashU. These mosques serve the large and incredibly diverse Muslim community of St. Louis and are very involved in serving the general St. Louis community with various charities and free clinics run by members of the community. If you eat halal, it’s fairly easy to find halal meat in St. Louis, and there are plenty of great restaurants to try too! On campus, you can find space to pray in the Danforth Chapel right on the medical campus, and there are also chapels within the hospital where you can pray (including Jummah prayers). Oh, and now WashU School of Medicine has an official Medical Muslim Student Association (MMSA), so be sure to check us out when you come to WashU! We look forward to welcoming you.