For the second summer in a row, first and second year college students, as well as community college students, have gatherered at UAB for the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP). This program, funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a 6-week-long in-depth exposure to health professions. Labs, lectures, and simulations combine with networking and recreational activities to make SHPEP an experience to remember. 

SHPEP UAB accepts 80 students annually. The goal of the program is to increase diversity in health professions by recruiting and preparing underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students for successful educational experiences and a careers in health care. The Heersink School of Medicine partners with the School of Dentistry, the School of Optometry, and the School of Health Professions to offer comprehensive and educational programming. 

The 2018 summer program kicked off June 4. On orientation day, students not only received their ID badges and visited Undergraduate Career and Devleopment, they participated in a scavenger hunt with GeoTrek Monday to learn about UAB's campus. Their experiences have also included anatomy lectures, shadowing orientation, an ultrasound workshop, and leadership/professional case conferences. 

SHPEP will include many additional offerings, including community-based experiences, including primary care in underserved populations, workshops on study and life skills, and instruction on health science topics, scientific writing, and critical reasoning.

This free program is open to all first and second year college students through an application process. For more information, click here.