Summer Health Professions Education Program -- Columbia University Medical Center, 2019

The Summer Health Professions Education Program is a free, six-week academic enrichment program for rising sophomore and junior college students from backgrounds underrepresented in the health professions and who are interested in pursuing health-related careers. The program seeks to strengthen the academic proficiency and career development of participants to increase the application and acceptance rates of a diverse group of students to health professions schools. The grantee will be required to provide program activities for 80 scholars structured around a set of core operational and programmatic principles: (1) introduction to interprofessional education, dentistry, medicine, and other health professions; (2) basic sciences (organic chemistry, physics, biology and quantitative topics); (3) courses in communications, learning skills, career development, and clinical experience; and (4) workshops in financial literacy and planning, health policy seminars and social activities. The grantee will be expected to provide each scholar with a six-week experience during the summer of 2019 including: (1) room and board (including three meals a day during the six weeks); (2) travel support up to $500 for travel to and from the program site; and (3) a standardized stipend of $600. This program site will be a partnership between Columbia University's medical, dental, nursing, and physical therapy, schools/programs. In selecting scholars, the grantee is required to use the application process and follow the eligibility rules as set the National Program Office.