The School of Dentistry is teaming with the UW School of Medicine on an initiative to draw more undergraduate students from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds into careers in the health sciences.
The new Health Professions Academy, a collaboration of the two schools and the Office for Minority Affairs and Diversity, is funded by a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Between 30 and 40 students are expected to be enrolled in the first year for pre-medical and pre-dental programs, with a goal of expanding the program to the other health sciences at the UW: pharmacy, social work, nursing and public health. Organizers also hope to offer the program to students at the UW’s campuses in Tacoma and Bothell.