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Interested in pre-health?

All programs except Summer Enrichment Day Camp require two letters of recommendation and official transcripts from colleges attended in order to complete the application process.

Mail all supplemental materials including fees to:
HCE/SSS Pipeline Programs
1000 E. Marshall St.,
Room 203-b
P.O. Box 980124
Richmond, Va. 23298

VCU/MCV Research Programs

• STEP-UP
• Alliance
• HERO Research
• D-Star

These programs offer college sophomores and juniors a hands-on, intensive research workshop at a nationally recognized research institution.

To apply to STEP-UP, VCU Alliance, HERO or the D-Star programs, please follow the link to the HCESSS Common Application. The deadline is Feb. 15, 2009.

STEP-UP Program

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases’ Short-term Educator Program for Underrepresented Persons — STEP-UP — provides undergraduate students an opportunity to spend 10 weeks with VCU faculty on research projects in the areas of diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, nutrition, obesity, and digestive, liver, urologic, kidney and/or hematologic diseases. Students from racial and ethnic minorities or disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

To apply for the STEP-UP program, all students must complete an online application on the NIDDK Web site to be considered.

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VCU Alliance Program

The VCU Alliance Program provides a hands-on research experience for undergraduate sophomores and juniors from racial and ethnic minorities or disadvantaged backgrounds. Students spend at least 10 weeks during the summer working on a research project in a VCU laboratory selected according to their research interest.

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Health Educational Research Opportunities Program (HERO)

Sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the HERO program provides 10-week summer research experiences for undergraduate students and first-year medical or dental students. Students have the opportunity to work with VCU faculty on research projects that focus on diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. Students from racial and ethnic minorities or disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

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D–Star

Dental – Student Training in Academic Research

The D-Star program focuses on methodology and hands-on research experience within the field of dentistry. Students spend 10 weeks from June to August in labs on VCU’s Medical Center and will prepare an individual research abstract, conduct an oral presentation on their research topic and create a scientific poster to summarize their experiences. D-Star is available to two students who have completed their sophomore year of college and are currently enrolled in a school within the Alliance partnership. Qualifications include a strong desire to pursue a career in dentistry and documentation of past history related to limited opportunities — educational, social and/or economic — that place an individual from a disadvantaged background seeking admission to a dental education program. There is no application fee for this program and the deadline to apply is Feb. 15, 2009.

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