Summer Opportunities for Undergraduates

CHAM has supported the Summer Undergraduate Mentorship Program (SUMP) of the Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine since 2002.

SUMP is a seven-week program that offers college students a unique opportunity to become exposed to the realities and nuances of the medical field. The goals of the program are to motivate individuals to pursue careers in medicine, provide the necessary skills to do so, build confidence and foster mentor relationships. The program includes didactic sessions, physician shadowing and a research experience.

SUMP’s record is impressive: Over the years, the program has nurtured 162 underrepresented or economically disadvantaged students eager join the health care profession. Every single alumnus has either graduated from college or is still matriculating. Among our alumni, 43 students have already been admitted into medical school, with 26 accepted into masters programs. In 2014 alone, nine of SUMP’s students applied to medical school, while many others are also actively preparing to enter medicine.

Part of their success lies in the fact that, through SUMP, students gain a network of friends, colleagues and advisors who can help them along their path.

Many SUMP graduates hope to return to their roots and improve their communities. A number of students plan to come back to the Bronx after graduation in the hopes of serving as a vital and much-needed link between patients and the health care system. Most aspire to become role models for future generations and have an impact on health disparities through both clinical work and community participatory research.