The Visiting Scholars Program (VSP) is a funded program designed to give students with a diverse background a chance to experience the training that the University of Washington Department of Medicine has to offer.

Program

Students will spend four weeks on an internal medicine elective at the University of Washington Medical Center or Harborview Medical Center and care for a variety of patients in our tertiary care centers. Near the completion of the elective students will be offered an opportunity to interview with the internal medicine residency program. Accepted applicants will receive funding for their travel and lodging expenses.

Eligibility

The program is open to applicants who demonstrate academic excellence and belong to groups that are recognized as historically underrepresented in the health and science professions including: Black/African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino and Pacific Islander. Applicants should be strongly motivated to pursue a career in internal medicine or any of its subspecialties.

The program is limited to students currently enrolled in a U.S medical school.

Application

Application materials are due by May 1 each year, but can be submitted thereafter on a rolling basis.

Submit the following:

  • Completed VSP application (emailed)

  • Letter of Recommendation (emailed)
  • Personal Statement (emailed)
  • CV (submitted to VSAS)
  • Medical School Transcript (submitted to VSAS)

Students will also apply to the UW DOM Visiting Students Program through the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS). Applicants not selected for the VSP program may, if interested, be considered for an elective rotation.

DOM Visiting Scholars

2016

Hiba Khan, University of Arizona College of Medicine
Paige McLean, Morehouse School of Medicine
Garen Wolff, Indiana University School of Medicine

2015

Christopher Ghiathi, Morehouse School of Medicine

First Visiting Scholar

The Department of Medicine welcomed our first Visiting Scholar, Christopher Ghiathi, in October 2015. He came to us from Morehouse School of Medicine. "I was interested in the UW because of its mission for serving underserved populations, as well as its track record for educational achievement," said Ghiathi. "An emphasis on serving disadvantaged patients was part of what drew me to Morehouse School of Medicine, and I relished the opportunity to train at an institution that shares the same mission.”