September 8, 2022 – A new partnership between the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Miami Dade College (MDC) will further expand opportunities for underrepresented students who are interested in becoming physicians.

The cooperative agreement will allocate guaranteed positions in the Miller School’s Medical Scholars Program, a summer program that helps minority students prepare for and apply to medical school, to qualifying MDC students.

“In taking these steps, we better serve and reflect the fabric of our own community, allowing those who might not think they have the foundation to pursue a career in the medical field to now dare to dream and realize a vibrant future serving others,” said University of Miami President Julio Frenk, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.

The partnership was formalized with a memorandum of understanding signed by President Frenk and Madeline Pumariega, president of MDC, on September 8.

Administered by the Miller School’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, the Medical Scholars Program is free to participants and includes MCAT preparation, individual mentoring, portfolio review and development, mock interviews, clinical shadowing, and more. Students who attend in person also receive housing, meal, and transportation stipends.

“Support is crucial in the challenging journey to becoming a physician,” said Henri Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School. “It is even more vital for underrepresented minority students, who face countless barriers to entering the world of medicine. While so much of what we do at the Miller School serves people all over the world, this program helps students in our own community and changes the lives of many here in South Florida.”