HealthPREP is an eight-week program facilitated by Emory University School of Medicine (EUSOM) and Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH). The overall purpose of the HealthPREP is to facilitate the entry of qualified students into health-related graduate and professional schools. HealthPREP is open to undergraduate and graduate scholars interested in pursuing a career within the health professions (ex. medicine, physician assistant, anesthesiology assistant, genetic counseling, physical therapy, and public health) who identify as being from a first-generation college-attending and/or low-income background.
Our approach is to provide students with an opportunity to develop skills that will increase their competitiveness for admissions by providing them resources to improve their performance on admission tests, professional development activities, exposure to primary care, and curriculum related to social determinants of health and health disparities. Students will also have public health focused seminars and workshops led by RSPH, and at the completion of the program will deliver a research proposal and presentation related to social determinants of health, health disparities, and/or health equity in their health profession of interest.
The HealthPREP structured activity is funded through the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) - National Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) Academies.
HealthPREP 2026 Summer Cohort Updates:
The HealthPREP 2026 application will OPEN on November 19, 2025 and CLOSE on January 22, 2026. The application will be posted here on November 19th, 2025.
Join our virtual Information Session on December 3, 2025 from 5:00-6:15 pm EST to learn more about the HealthPREP 2026 summer pathway program. Click HERE for the ZOOM registration link.
HealthPREP 2026 program dates:
June 1, 2026 - July 24, 2026 (8 weeks full-time committment)
Contact
Emory School of Medicine
Outreach and Recruitment Programs, Office of Enrollment Management
100 Woodruff Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30322
Vanessa Fleites, PhD (she/her)
Assistant Director of Programs
healthprep@emory.edu
Program Overview
Throughout the summer, scholars will engage in a rigorous curriculum not just to give students the academic skills needed, but also to increase their resilience and fortitude by giving them personal and professional skills needed to succeed in graduate and professional schools.
List of sample activities include, but are not limited to:
- Weekly public health seminars led by RSPH
- Weekly MCAT or GRE test preparation
- EUSOM programs' Admissions Information sessions (ex. MD, PA, AA, DPT, GC)
- Weekly Translational & Clinical Research seminars
- Networking events (panels with faculty, learners, staff, healthcare providers, HealthPREP alumni, etc.)
- Academic & Professional Development workshops (ex. Professionalism 101, emotional & financial wellness, LinkedIn 101, etc.)
- Simulation activity with the Human Simulation Education Center (HSEC)
- Independent study time
- Group-based activities
Throughout the duration of the program, HealthPREP scholars will be expected to complete deliverables (ex. coursework, homework, presentations). As part of the onboarding before the program begins, scholars will also be required to complete various forms, health documentation requirements, and pre-surveys, etc., as needed.
Southeastern Primary Care Consortium (SPCC) Atlanta Area Health Education Center (AHEC) will collaborate with program administrators to provide health education and college/health career readiness activities. This can include one in-person (3-4 hrs) shadowing opportunity at a community health clinic - ex. Ethne Health, Care Access, Whitefoord Health Center, Four Corners Primary Care Centers, Empire Care Center, and MedCura.
The Urban Health Initiative will provide health disparities education and facilitate ~4-8 hrs clinical shadowing experiences for students (*subject to change depending on site/provider availability). In previous years, shadowing has been done VIRTUALLY during 1-2 sessions in the Internal Medicine department at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA.
Once accepted, health documentation needed for shadowing must be completed by the scholar in a timely manner (ex. immunizations, HIPAA compliance, etc.).
Eligibility
- At least one of the following backgrounds: (a) Economically disadvantaged (i.e. Pell Grant eligible) AND/OR (b) first-generation student whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have not completed a bachelor's degree
- Applicants with expressed interest in the health professions (medical doctor, public health, physician assistant, anesthesiology assistant, physical therapy, genetic counseling, biomedical science graduate programs, etc.)
- U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident
- Minimum science and cumulative GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale
- At least two years of undergraduate coursework (undergraduate or recent graduate in their gap year/post-bac). You will be asked to choose a test prep. track, MCAT or GRE, and the following are requirements for the tracks:
- MCAT track only: Matriculating junior/senior/post-bac students, with at least two years of undergraduate science OR pre-health coursework (including 2 semesters of organic chemistry)
- GRE track only: Matriculating junior/senior/post-bac students, with at least two years of undergraduate coursework
*Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements to be considered.
Application Requirements
- Complete an online application by the DEADLINE and include:
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- In 500 words or less complete a personal statement describing what makes you a qualified candidate for HealthPREP at Emory.
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- Resume/Curriculum Vitae
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- Copy of financial aid award (Pell Grant/FAFSA), if eligibility is based on low-income background
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- Three letters of recommendation (at least TWO from college professors). Guidelines for recommenders can be found here. Recommenders must send their letters directly to the following email address: healthprep@emory.edu ; letters SHOULD NOT be sent directly by applicants.
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- Official electronic transcripts from all colleges attended. Electronic transcripts must be requested from Institution to be sent directly to the following email address: healthprep@emory.edu - if you only select Emory, it will not be sent to the appropriate email.
