Programs for Underrepresented Groups in Healthcare

Summer Health Professions Education program (SHPEP)

The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) is a FREE transformative six-week summer experience for students underrepresented in medicine and from disadvantaged backgrounds interested in the health professions.

SHPEP scholars on site

SHPEP SCHOLAR TESTIMONAL

"The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) is an internship program funded through the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). It is a paid internship open to students of various health disciplines such as pre-pharm, pre-dental, nursing, and pre-med. It is offered in many different universities across the United States.

I did the SHPEP program through Rutgers University of New Jersey during the summer of 2020. Although the program was mostly online due to covid, I was blessed to get a chance to learn from so many seasoned professionals and network with peers across the country. I made great friends from the program and I still keep in touch with them to this day.

We did group projects with students from different disciplines and worked on solving hypothetical healthcare problems. Interdisciplinary collaboration is a skill that is becoming more of a necessity in the field of healthcare, and as a current PharmD candidate, I was glad I got the opportunity to exercise and work on this skill through the internship. Aside from exposure to various fields of interest, academic coursework was integrated into the internship experience and was taught by surgeons, pharmacists, medical doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologists. This gave me an upper hand in my undergraduate career when completing anatomy and chemistry-related courses.

I loved being in SHPEP. I urge any pre-health student to apply to this program. It was such a unique experience that gave me experiences and skills that are sought after in healthcare and allowed me to network with amazing professionals across the country".

Daisy A.|She/Her/Hers

PharmD Candidate, James Winkle College of Pharmacy

Pre-Med Programs

Ohio Univ. Summer Scholars - Open to rising juniors and seniors, and graduate students

Pre-Optometry Programs

I-DOC (Improving Diversity in Optometric Careers) at Ohio State University College of Optometry - Must be undergraduate student to participate

Pre-Dentistry Programs

Summer Enrichment Program at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry - Open to rising juniors, seniors and recent college graduates
Michigan Dentistry Profile for Success - Open to rising juniors and seniors, and recent college graduates

All-Inclusive Health Professions Programs

Health Career Connection - Open to students in all years of undergraduate and graduate school
Ohio State Summer Research Opportunities Program
Tours for Diversity in Medicine - Open to high school and college students
Morehouse College Public Health Internships - Open to juniors, seniors, recent graduates

Research Programs

Biomedical Research Internship for Minority Students - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center - Rising college sophomores eligible to apply (apply during freshman year college)
Johns Hopkins Diversity programs
Diversity Student Summer Research Opportunity Program - Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Open to rising juniors and seniors
Cornell Travelers Summer Research Fellowship - Open to rising seniors
Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/ Sloan-Kettering Gateways to The Laboratory Summer Program - Open to rising sophomores and juniors

Search Engines & Databases

AAMC Enrichment Summer Search - Open to undergraduate students (varies by program)
Institute for Broadening Participation “Pathways to Science" - Open to high school and undergraduate students (varies)

Refer to specific programs to ensure your qualifications.

* These students include, but are not limited to, individuals who identify as African American/Black, American Indian and Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino, and who are from communities of socioeconomic and educational disadvantage (from SHPEP.org)

Disclaimer: The PPAC at the University of Cincinnati encourages students to use precaution and fully investigate all aspects of these programs before committing to one. The PPAC has no control or responsibility for the: (a) quality or safety of any experiential learning opportunity/position descriptions or (b) the application, hiring practices, or EEO/AA status of any of the organizations listed here.