Student Resources
Summer Medical Leadership Program
The University of Virginia School of Medicine conducts an innovative medical academic enrichment program – the Summer Medical Leadership Program (SMLP). The number one goal of SMLP is to expose participants to the “real world of medicine” to prepare them not only for admission to medical school but to assume future leadership positions in medicine/biomedical field. SMLP is a 6-week intensive residential summer enrichment program for undergraduate students from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in pursuing careers in medicine.
Additional School of Medicine Programs
The School of Medicine offers a ten-week research internship to qualified undergraduates considering a career in biomedical research. Generous financial support, housing, and travel are provided to participants. UVA is committed to diversity, and this program supports (though is not limited to) racially and ethnically diverse and first generation undergraduate students in their junior and senior years, aiming to expose them to laboratory research and familiarize them with the types of careers within biomedical sciences.
The University of Virginia School of Medicine offers Summer Medical Research Internship (SMRI) opportunities to students entering into MD programs. The program targets, but is not limited to, racially and ethnically diverse students who have completed their first year of the M.D. Program at the School of Medicine. The projects are typically basic research in the biomedical sciences with the program’s goals including development of a cadre of diverse individuals who can carry the basic science research discoveries into the clinical realm for the betterment of the human condition.
Scholarships
The Ridley Scholarship Program seeks to attract Black students of the highest academic caliber and build a community of learning, leadership and legacy for Black students at the University of Virginia.
The Reider/Otis Scholarship will provide a one time gift of $5,000 to an LGBTQ student or to students who have demonstrated a willingness to advance the rights and acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Available for undergraduate or graduate students, excluding first years, who attend the University of Virginia on a full time basis, this scholarship can be applied for, or you may nominate a candidate who is also willing to apply.
The Herring Scholarship seeks to award $5,000 to a current undergraduate or graduate student of any year who demonstrates leadership, citizenship, and fellowship and has actively supported, through volunteerism and advocacy, the LGBTQ Center at the University of Virginia. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University are invited to submit nominations.
The Peter Page Scholarship provides $10,000 in scholarship funds to highly-motivated gay male students. This merit scholarship is available for incoming first-year students who will attend on a full-time basis. Decisions are based on the students’ academic achievements, essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities, and awards demonstrating exceptional commitment to bettering the LGBT community. The Peter Page Scholarship also provides grants to highly-motivated gay male students with financial need. Current undergraduate or graduate students who attend the University of Virginia on a full-time basis can apply for a one-year grant. Decisions will be based on academic achievements, financial need, essays, extracurricular activities, and awards demonstrating exceptional commitment to bettering LGBT community at UVA and beyond. Recipients can apply for the grant again the following year. The Serpentine Society will work with the UVA Financial Aid Office to determine the amount that each individual student shall receive.
The V. Shamim Sisson Ally of the Year Award seeks to recognize a member of the UVA community who has gone above and beyond in their daily life in supporting the LGBTQ community, furthering the rights and acceptance of queer-identified individuals at the university and beyond. Understanding that allies come in many shapes and sizes and with varying access to resources, we encourage and welcome student, faculty, staff, and alumni nominees. This award brings necessary attention to the important role that allies play in the fight for equality, social justice, and the acceptance of the LGBTQ community. The V. Shamim Sisson Ally of the Year Award is presented during the Annual Serpentine Society Fall Weekend.
We are proud to offer up to $1500 to help offset the costs of travel and housing for highly qualified medical students who wish to do a visiting surgical clerkship at our institution during the months of August through October and whose backgrounds, interests or goals will bring diverse experiences and interests to UVA’s General Surgery Department.
The purpose of this scholarship is to provide medical students the opportunity to live and work in Charlottesville, while experiencing firsthand our Department’s inclusive culture and welcoming environment. This clerkship will hopefully encourage students to consider a career in Surgery, enhance students’ awareness of opportunities in academic medicine and provide them with specific mentoring and networking opportunities.
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to meet with the Program Director. Students will rotate for four weeks on one of our core General Surgery rotations such as the Colorectal, Hepatobiliary, Minimally Invasive and Foregut services. They will be expected to function at the level of a sub-intern or advanced medical student. Students will actively prepare for and participate in morning rounds, attend daytime operations, work at least 2 weekends, and give at least one formal presentation during their visit with us. They will also be expected to attend all morning reports, teaching conferences, morbidity and mortality conferences, and Grand Rounds with our residents.
As a faculty member at UVA for 35 years, Dr. Eduard E. de Lange has seen the positive effects of a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion. He and his wife, Francesca, strongly believe in the promotion of such a culture in society—and specifically in the healthcare learning environment. To this end, the de Langes have established the UVA Radiology Residency Diversity and Inclusion Fund.
The Fund’s aim is to encourage applicants who have an interest in enhancing diversity and inclusion in the field of Radiology to come to UVA and join the efforts of the Department in this area during their residency training. Residents committed to promoting these goals through education, service, leadership, and other initiatives are invited to apply for the Fund.
The UVA Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging is proud to offer up to $1,500 in scholarships to help offset the costs of travel and housing for up to seven highly qualified medical students per year who wish to do a visiting radiology elective at our institution. Visiting rotations are during the months of June through October. Scholarships are for medical students whose backgrounds, interests or goals will bring diverse experiences and interests to UVA’s Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging.
Note for medical students: MS-4’s who are first generation medical school attendees and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged students who have overcome substantial educational or economic obstacles in pursuit of their medical education are encouraged to apply for UVA Radiology’s 4th-Year Medical Student Scholarship.