Leadership in Health Disparities Program (LHDP)

The Leadership in Health Disparities Program (LHDP) evolved from the Stanford Medical School’s Early Matriculation Program (EMP) that began in 1984 to promote academic careers in medicine among minority and disadvantaged medical students. Over the past decades, the EMP was successful in helping students achieve academic and leadership careers. Yet, because of the persistence of health inequities in the nation, the EMP evolved into the LHDP to create the next generation of physician leaders committed to addressing health disparities.

Today, the LHDP is available to all matriculating Stanford medical students.  It includes a summer early matriculation component directed at initiating a successful medical and leadership career, and a two-year leadership seminar series during the school year focused on increasing students’ knowledge of health inequities, the roles of physician leaders, and their leadership challenges. We encourage students interested in careers addressing health inequities to consider this program.

The summer is comprised of a six-week program that is offered during the summer quarter preceding the first year of medical school. It offers students the following activities:

•  Introduction to population health disparities.
• Meetings with medical and community health leaders on issues of health disparities.
• Weekly sessions on developing leadership skills in medicine and meeting with physician leaders.
• Exposure to research opportunities with faculty in one of the scholarly concentrations.
• Introductory Anatomy course integrating concepts of basic science with clinical science. Introduction to Patient Care course designed to provide early hands on introduction to taking patient histories and conducting standardized patient exams.
• Interactions with medical students, residents and faculty interested in health inequities.

Students matriculate for the summer quarter and pay a reduced tuition rate. Participants receive a research assistantship, which covers the research rate tuition and salary covering the estimated cost of living expenses for the six-week program. The RA in most instances offsets most, if not all, of the costs. Financial aid is not available.