Diversity in Medicine Visiting Elective Program Scholarship

Eligibility: 

Eligible participants are full-time, fourth-year medical students in good standing at accredited U.S. medical schools. Students remain registered at their own schools while participating in the four-week elective at UC Davis. Each student must complete an application form through the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) Application Service.

Application Process:

1. Apply for your chosen electives in VSLO at aamc.org/vslo. Your scholarship application will not be considered without a complete VSLO application.
2. Submit the Visiting Elective Program application at bit.ly/UCDVEPapp with your Letter of Intent. In the Letter of Intent section, explain your path to medicine, your demonstrated interest in serving underserved communities, and your interest in practicing at UC Davis and/or Northern California in 500 words/1 page. You may submit any supplemental materials to hs-osrd@ucdavis.edu with "VEP [your name]" in the subject line. Incomplete applications and applications submitted pass the deadline date will not be considered.
3. Send a Letter of Intent (1 page maximum) and any supplemental materials to hs-osrd@ucdavis.edu with "VEP [your name]" in the subject line.
   1. In this letter, please explain your path to medicine, your demonstrated interest in serving underserved communities, and your interest in practicing at UC Davis and/or Northern California.

Application Deadlines:

• For rotation start dates in July-September: Friday, June 2, 2023
• For rotation start dates in October-January: Friday, July 30, 2023
• For 2024 rotation start dates: TBA

Please note: The Diversity in Medicine Visiting Elective Program only provides scholarship funding and additional mentorship resources. OSRD does not make decisions on whether a student is accepted or rejected from an away rotation, as these decisions are made by the hosting clinical departments. Students can only receive one scholarship if applying for both department and OSRD Diversity in Medicine scholarship.

If you have any questions about the Visiting Elective Program, contact Eva Lee at eclee@ucdavis.edu.

What is DVEPS?

The Diversity in Medicine Visiting Elective Program Scholarship (DVEPS) offered by the Office of Student and Resident Diversity provides fourth-year medical students who are underrepresented in medicine and/or from economically disadvantaged backgrounds from other schools may choose to take an away rotation at UC Davis School of Medicine, especially if they are interested in matching into a UC Davis residency program. Medical students who are LGBTQI+, first generation, and/or living with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

Benefits of doing a VEP at UC Davis?

• Access to mentorship and experience at UC Davis School of Medicine residency programs
• Obtain a reimbursement for travel, food, and lodging for rotation, reducing the cost to obtain experiential learning during medical school
• Visit Sacramento and gain a better understanding of the diverse communities and resources available
• Engage in networking opportunities with faculty, residents, and staff at UC Davis School of Medicine

When is the next rotation application and deadline date for the scholarship?

Visit https://health.ucdavis.edu/diversity/resident/prospective.html for upcoming rotation and application deadline dates.

Do I have to apply for the VEP and DVEPS application?

Yes, you will need to apply for your chosen electives in VSLO at aamc.org/vslo. Your scholarship application will not be considered without a complete VSLO application.

Fill out the DVEPS application at bit.ly/UCDVEPapp.

What does the DVEPS application cover?

The Diversity in Medicine Visiting Elective Program Scholarship application requires submitting about your contact information, background, and a section to include your Letter of Intent (1 page maximum). If you would to submit any supplemental materials, you may submit them to hs-osrd@ucdavis.edu with "VEP [your name]" in the subject line.

1. In your letter of intent section, describe your path to medicine, your demonstrated interest in serving underserved communities, and your interest in practicing at UC Davis and/or Northern California.

Does applying for VEP rotation before or after residency application affect my chances for residency with UC Davis? 

No, it does not affect your chances for admission to residency.

I have questions about a specific department of interest, who can I contact?

Questions regarding day to day activities and learning outcomes should be referred to departmental coordinators in their respective departments. To see available residency programs, visit https://health.ucdavis.edu/gme/residency_programs.html 

Can international students apply for the DEVPS?

Unfortunately, no. Per the Visiting Medical Student eligibility of enrollment policies: https://health.ucdavis.edu/mdprogram/registrar/visiting.html 

Does every residency department offer a VEP rotation?

To see which departments offer a rotation, visit VSLO at aamc.org/vslo.

Does every department offer a scholarship program for VEP?

No. Not every department offers a scholarship for Visiting Elective Programs. The following academic departments offer their own scholarship programs for visiting students. Students can only receive one scholarship if applying for both department and OSRD scholarship. Please click on the program to learn more.

• Emergency Medicine - Visiting Underrepresented Scholar Program
• Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery - Brodie Endowment Diversity Visiting Clerkship (PDF)
• Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - Diversity Medical Student Visiting Clerkship

For more information on applying to a fourth-year elective at UC Davis, visit the Office of the Registrar's Visiting Medical Students page.

For questions regarding the Diversity in Medicine Visiting Elective Program Scholarship (DVEPS), contact Eva Lee at eclee@ucdavis.edu. 

    2022 Award Recipients

1. Tien Nguyen, Washington State Univ Elson S - Washington State-Floyd Tri-Cities School of Medicine, UC Davis Health Pediatric Surgery, 2022
2. Grace Wei, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, UC Davis Health Dermatology, 2022
3. Serena Choi, University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, UC Davis Health Ophthalmology, 2022
4. Morgan Haynes, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, UC Davis Health Dermatology, 2022
5. Yen Luu, University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine, UC Davis Health Dermatology, 2022
6. Bilal Karim, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, UC Davis Health Child Neurology, 2022
7. Ky Ngo, University of Washington School of Medicine - U Washington-UW, UC Davis Health Surgery
8. Shadi Shams, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, UC Davis Health Child Neurology, 2022
9. Jasper Shu, Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, UC Davis Health Anesthesiology, 2022
10. Nancy Abarca, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, UC Davis Health Neurology, 2022

OSRD collaborates with individual residency and fellowship programs to showcase how each program promotes diversity, equity and inclusion as part of the larger UC Davis Health community. Many programs participate in OSRD's annual Graduate Medical Education Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Open House, and some programs hold Diversity Day events concurrent with interviews. If you are an applicant interested in one of these programs, please reach out to the residency or fellowship program directly.

If you are a representative from a UC Davis residency or fellowship program, please visit our Info for GME Programs page.

Welcome to our new UC Davis residents and fellows! We are so excited to meet you. Check out some of the resources available to you on our Current Residents and Fellows page.