Pre Medical Students
The Office of Diversity in Medical Education (ODME) offers select programs, activities, and events for premedical students throughout the year.
Through conferences and summer programs, guest lectures and special events, the ODME networks undergraduates on campus and throughout the Northern California region to information, resources, and opportunities that support continued learning and development, and competitive preparation for careers as aspiring health professionals.
News and Events
ODME Summer Programs Application Workshop
Join us on Tuesday, February 9th at 8pm pacific for an overview of the Stanford Summer Community College and Research programs application. What if you can't get two letters of recommendation? Is leadership experience required? What applicants are given priority consideration? What happens after the program?
This session will cover everthing you need to know to submit a complete and competitive application. Please click this link to register.
Application deadline: March 1, 2021.
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Program Alumni Spotlight
SSCCPP 2017 and LEAP program alumna (2018), Michael Ruvalcaba
Michael completed SSCCPP in the summer of 2017. After SSCCPP, Michael participated in another Stanford internship called Leadership Education for Aspiring Physicians, LEAP, from August 2017 to June 2018. During these ten months, Michael and his LEAP partner created a project where they went to Davis to understand the barriers that are preventing International Medical Graduates and refugees of Arab and Afghani descent with a professional degree from becoming a physician here in the U.S. The goal was to show there is a need to integrate International Medical Graduates into the medical workforce for the stability and benefit of the refugee population.
Michael is now working as a lab manager in a neuroscience research lab at the University of California Berkeley since October 2021. Michael has contributed to two research papers and presented several posters. Neuropace is a company that created a device that is like a pacemaker for your heart, but instead it is for your brain. It can detect when someone is about to have seizure and send a signal/stimulation to your brain and prevent you from seizing. Michael was responsible for creating a foundation that records data on patients who received the device.
Advice for undergraduate students who are interested in medicine:
“To anyone reading this that feels like they are stuck or has lost hope, keep going. The only way it will never happen is if you quit. But if you keep going, I promise you door will open up for you when you least expect it.” – Michael Ruvalcaba.
To learn more about resources for alumni, please visit the Undergraduate Programs Alumni page.