Minority and Under-Represented Pre-Health Students
See also:Scholarships, Fellowships, and Research Opportunities, Summer Programs for Minority and Under-Represented Pre-Health Students, and Post-BA Programs
Most health professional schools and associations are strongly committed to increasing the number of practitioners from minority, economically disadvantaged, or otherwise under-represented backgrounds. As you begin to investigate individual schools and programs, look for links to special programs or opportunities for minority and other under-represented applicants.
Definitely check out the website for the professional association for your chosen health profession. Many sponsor scholarships, summer training programs, and other forms of support. You can find links to selected associations through Choosing a Health Profession.
For M.D. programs, the AAMC has redefined what “under-represented” means. It is now up to individual schools to determine which groups in its geographic area of interest are under-represented. Read the website for each school and program carefully to determine whether or not you qualify for that particular school.
Applying to health professional schools can be very expensive: admissions test fees, applications fees, and travel expenses for interviews, among other expenses. The good news is that, with persistence, you can be granted fee reductions or waivers for tests and applications fees if you qualify, and some schools may pay your travel expenses or agree to a phone interview. Read websites for testing services, centralized application services, and individual schools and programs thoroughly; and when you don’t find information about fee reductions or waivers, call and ask.
AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP)
AACOM Fee Waiver
When researching schools and programs, make use of the library’s or 70 Bascom’s copies of publications, such as the Medical School Admissions Requirements, or the Official Guide to Dental Schools. Much of your research can be done on the web.
Many programs exist to support students who are the first in their families to attend college or pursue a graduate degree. Be sure to investigate the general and pre-health scholarship links, talk to your advisor, visit the website for your health professional association, and inquire with the schools to which you apply.
AAMC has undertaken a new campaign to raise awareness and interest among students of color about careers in medicine. If you are interested in learning more, see www.aspiringdocs.org
In addition to the resources available to minority students through the information above, UW-Madison hosts a chapter of AHANA, which includes African/Black Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans, which incorporates Alaskan Natives. AHANA aims to support, encourage, and maintain the interests of minority students in pre-health professional careers.
PALMA is the Latina/o pre-med group. Here is their website which includes its mission.
Scholarships, Fellowships, and In-School Research Opportunities: Pre-Health
The UW-Madison Center for Biology Education provides information on undergraduate research on and off campus.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
The American Indian Graduate Center provides scholarships to undergraduate students with diverse racial backgrounds and graduate scholarships to American Indian students.- Harvard Medical School's Summer Training in Academic Research and Scholarship
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students of Hispanic heritage with demonstrated financial need. - Johns Hopkins Summer Undergraduate Research Experience
- NIH's NIDDK Summer Program
The NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to exceptional students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to biomedical, behavioral and social science research careers at the NIH.
- The Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine has an outstanding
summer program that is designed for rising seniors and beyond. The
program is called Summer Scholars and it is 6 weeks in length. The
participants take course work they will see in the first year of medical
school; gross anatomy, biochemistry, immunology, histology, integrated
pharmacology and an introduction to case base learning. Courses are
taught by the OU-COM faculty. The program also includes clinical
shadowing and overview of research at the medical school. In addition,
there is a guaranteed interview for the next entering class at the
medical school (if eligible). The program includes room and board, a
modest stipend, and a travel allowance to attend the program. - Weill Cornell Medical College's Treveler's Summer Research Fellowship Program