Summer Medical and Dental Education Program

The Foundation's Summer Medical and Dental Education Program was designed to develop and implement a six-week academic enrichment program for undergraduate college students from minority groups, from rural areas, and from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in pursuing careers in medicine or dentistry.The purpose of the project is to increase the application and acceptance rates of a diverse group of students to medical and dental schools. Students eligible to participate in this program are those who are underrepresented in medicine and dentistry, come from a disadvantaged background (financially or educationally), and/or have demonstrated a commitment to improving the health status of underserved populations. Program activities are structured around a set of predetermined, core operational and programmatic principles: basic sciences (organic chemistry, physics, biology and calculus or precalculus); key elective courses (writing, oral presentation and current topics in health); learning skills; career development; clinical experience; financial planning; and health policy. There are 12 sites across the United States, nine are joint medical and dental school sites and three are medical school only sites. Each summer, 960 students are selected to participate (80 at each site).