This Summer, 80 freshmen and sophomore university students from across the U.S. will visit UF for the first time to learn about careers in the health professions.
In October, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gave UF a $415,000 grant to help UF host the Summer Health Professions Education Program. The program is designed for students from minority communities who are underrepresented in health professions, said, Patricia Probert, UF’s College of Dentistry’s assistant dean for student and multicultural affairs. Thirteen other universities will also host the program, with 80 students attending at each location.
Students will spend six weeks at UF in on-campus residence halls and receive a stipend while shadowing health professionals, Probert said.
“This is an incredible opportunity for students who are thinking about the health profession to come in and learn and gain academic enrichment, learning skills as well as time in the clinic, time in the laboratory,” she said.
While the program will focus on medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and public health professions, students will also learn about nursing, physician assistant studies and veterinary medicine, Probert said.
She said online applications opened Nov. 1 and will close for early admission Feb. 1 and regular admission March 1. Students will attend the program from May 22 to June 30.
Undergraduates must be freshmen or sophomores with at least a 2.5 GPA when they apply, she said.
Tori Baker, a UF pharmacy doctoral student, said the program will benefit those deciding their career path.
“This is a great opportunity to see if it is something that is for them,” she said.
