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The Summer Health Professions Education Program - SHPEP

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The Summer Health Professions Education Program - SHPEP

Over the course of 25 summers, the program has evolved. Its scope expanded again in 2005, when a dental component was added—and SMEP became SMDEP.

For 25 years, the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) now the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) has been shaping careers and changing lives. The free, six-week academic enrichment program provides a rigorous curriculum, mentoring, and networking opportunities that many of its more than 22,000 alumni describe as life-altering. Funded by the Princeton, N.J.-based Ro

bert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated to improving the nation’s health, SHPEP launched in 1989 as the Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP). Its goal was to increase acceptance rates for medical school applicants from underrepresented populations—a crucial step toward eliminating health care disparities. In 2003, the eligibility criteria stretched beyond the initial racial and ethnic categories to include students from rural areas and economically disadvantaged communities, and MMEP was renamed the Summer Medical Education Program (SMEP). Acceptance to SMDEP is generally limited to incoming sophomores and juniors (one program accepts rising freshmen) at 12 university sites across the country. Those sites host upwards of 950 aspiring health professionals annually, offering them intensive workshops, shadowing opportunities, MCAT preparation, and guidance on paying for their medical or dental school education. Instructors include practicing physicians and dentists, as well as medical and dental school faculty and students. The effect SMDEP has on individual lives, however, is only half the story. Studies show health professionals from marginalized communities tend to practice in those communities, and patients participate more actively in their own health care when they feel an affinity with their medical practitioners. SMDEP not only increases opportunities for culturally diverse students, it also helps create a pathway to better health care for underserved populations. Even the participants who don’t choose medical or dental careers find that their lives and purpose are enriched by their immersion in this “academic boot camp.” SHPEP scholars have pursued degrees in nursing and advanced degrees in public health, the biomedical sciences, psychology, and other health professions.

08/14/2026

University of Nebraska scholars!

08/04/2026

University of California Los Angeles and Charles R. Drew University scholars!

07/24/2026

University of Iowa scholars!

07/22/2026

Howard University scholars!

07/17/2026

Western University of Health Sciences scholars!

07/16/2026

UT Houston scholars!

07/14/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 alumni ambassador award recipients! These ambassadors recruited the highest number of applicants for the 2026 season! Thank you to all our ambassadors for their recruitment efforts this past application season!

07/10/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 Rubens J. Pamies Opportunity Fund scholarship recipients!

07/09/2026

University of Louisville scholars!

06/04/2026

Today’s the day – Chat with us at the AAMC Virtual Med School Fair starting at 11AM ET. You can still register for free: http://aamc.org/virtualfair

Address

655 K Street Suite 100
Washington D.C., DC
20001

Opening Hours

Wednesday	9am - 3pm
Friday	9am - 7pm

Telephone

+18665876337

Website

http://shpep.org/contact/

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