MSU medical college receives $2.2 million grant to build
diversity in medical professions

EAST LANSING, Mich. – A $2.2 million federal grant will help a Michigan State University associate dean build diversity in medicine and other health professions.

A Health Career Opportunity Program grant will enable Wanda Lipscomb, the College of Human Medicine’s associate dean for student affairs, diversity and outreach, to establish the Health Professions Achievement Pathway Alliance. The initiative, funded by the federal Health Resource and Services Agency, will allow the college to develop a competitive applicant pool with a focus on diversity.

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CHM RESEARCH NEWS

The latest edition of the College of Human Medicine Research Newsletter is now available. Click here to read the entire newsletter. Of particular note: College of Human Medicine students recently launched the only U.S. online, peer-reviewed journal that is authored, reviewed, and published by medical students for medical students. It joins just a handful of such journals in the world. The Medical Student Research Journal (MSRJ) will fill a void in current research publications by exclusively highlighting student research and providing medical students with writing, reviewer, editing and publishing experience.

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and Grand Valley State University entered into an agreement on September 19, 2008 that provides a link between premedical students at Grand Valley and the College of Human Medicine. The presidents of both universities finalized the Early Assurance Program for admission which will help both disadvantaged students and underserved areas of medicine.

The program provides an enhanced opportunity for admission to medical school to qualified premedical students who wish to practice in the underserved areas. Preference for admission will be given to students who are the first generation to attend college, students who graduated from a low-income high school, those eligible for Pell grants, or those who express interest in a high-need medical specialty area.

Grand Valley students interested in caring for underserved populations will complete a program of enriching clinical and service experiences, as well as academic advising directed toward admission to MSU College of Human Medicine. The emphasis on care for the underserved is at the core of the College of Human Medicine’s mission.

During their junior year, students who excel in the Grand Valley program may apply to the College of Human Medicine and be assured of admission by the MSU admissions committee, as long as the students maintain their academic performance. There will be five admissions slots available for this program.

The program meets all accreditation requirements for admissions to the College to be conducted by the duly appointed admissions committee of faculty of the College of Human Medicine. This is a three-year pilot program that will be reviewed annually by both universities.  We hope to extend this to other undergraduate institutions in our communities soon.

This program represents our commitment to our mission and our values, expressed in our student body, in the desired outcomes of meeting the needs of underserved populations, and in enhancing our communities through strong partnership.

The College of Human Medicine and Munson Medical Center in Traverse City are pleased to announce plans to establish the seventh CHM Community Campus in northern Michigan. Starting in 2009, as many as 12 MSU College of Human Medicine students will train in any of 10 community hospitals throughout Northern Michigan as part of this collaboration.

This new opportunity for third and fourth-year students evolved from our longtime relationship with Munson Medical Center with their Family Practice Residency program. This partnership creates our college’s seventh community campus, our only campus in northern lower Michigan, and our first new campus in 30 years. The Traverse City Community Campus will join the existing community campuses of Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette, and Saginaw.

We will continue to send a greater number of students to all of our campuses as we increase our class size to 200 students per year in 2010. We continue to work with each of our communities in developing the unique and compelling identity that will establish them as leaders in their area of strength, both in undergraduate and graduate medical education.

Click HERE for the official press release.