Community Health Professions Academy (CHPA) is a program aimed at 8th – 12th grade students from minority or underrepresented/rural communities including American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and/or African American, however, all are welcome to apply. Dental students, faculty, and pre-health undergraduate students, and AmeriCorps members volunteer their time to provide career guidance and enrichment for high school students in Washington State.

Known in the past as Dental Academy, CHPA was initially developed in 2013. Each year, a cohort of 35 accepted scholars participate in the CHPA Program. CHPA starts in January each year and continues through May. During CHPA, scholars participate in hands-on activities, panel and group discussions, mentorship from current health professional students and learn from healthcare professionals about various fields at the University of Washington. Over the course of eight sessions, the program focuses on health professions such as Public Health, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Neurotechnology and Traditional Medicine. The scholars, with aid from their health professional student mentors, also participate in patient case discussions concerning common health issues.
We are currently accepting applications for our 2023 CHPA cohort. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until December 16th, 2022. However, priority is granted to students who apply before December 4, 2022. Click here to apply.
Scholars will receive an admit decision during the last week of December, 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact the OEPD office at uwoepd@uw.edu.