Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students - The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Maryland’s only public medical school, seeks support through the HRSA Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program to establish EMPATH: Expanding Maryland Physician Pathways through Scholarship, Leadership, and Community Practice. EMPATH will provide need-based scholarships and coordinated support for full-time medical students from economically, educationally, or geographically disadvantaged backgrounds, preparing them for careers in primary care and service to rural, Tribal, and other medically vulnerable communities across Maryland. UMSOM enrolls a substantial population of students with demonstrated financial need. An analysis of approximately 623 medical students enrolled between 2022–2025 found that approximately 20% reported family incomes below $75,000, approximately 16% had received Pell Grants, and more than 11% qualified for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program. A complementary review of approximately 620 student records found that nearly 62% attended high school in Maryland, with comparatively limited representation from the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, and other rural regions. These findings highlight both significant financial need and opportunities to strengthen pathways from communities experiencing physician shortages and limited access to care. EMPATH will leverage UMSOM’s established strengths in admissions, financial aid, student affairs, medical education, research, rural health training, community engagement, and outcomes tracking. Scholarship eligibility will be determined through FAFSA-documented financial need and federally recognized indicators of economic, educational, and geographic disadvantage. Awards will comply with HRSA requirements and prioritize students with the greatest unmet financial need. Beyond financial assistance, EMPATH scholars will receive individualized advising, faculty and near-peer mentoring, leadership development, financial counseling, community-engaged learning, research opportunities, career guidance, and structured exposure to primary care and medically vulnerable communities. Students interested in rural practice may participate in the Rural-MD Scholars Program, developed with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center. Rural-MD includes a pre-matriculation immersion experience, the longitudinal Rural Health Equity and Access Elective, rural clinical placements, mentorship, and a fourth-year rural health capstone. Key partners include the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center, Maryland Area Health Education Center, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, TidalHealth, Dorchester County Health Department, Rural Maryland Council, and University of Maryland Baltimore research and educational programs. Together, these partners provide community-based training, mentoring, clinical placements, research opportunities, and sustained connections to the communities scholars are being prepared to serve. Over the project period, EMPATH will:(1) increase the number of eligible medical students receiving substantial need-based scholarships;(2) reduce unmet financial need and barriers to degree completion;(3) increase participation in primary care, rural health, community practice, leadership, and scholarly development activities; and(4) increase the proportion of graduates entering primary care and training or practice in medically vulnerable communities. Outcomes will be tracked from scholarship selection through graduation, residency placement, and, when available, postgraduate practice. By combining meaningful scholarship support with mentoring, leadership development, community engagement, and workforce preparation, EMPATH will strengthen Maryland’s physician pipeline and provide a transferable model for preparing physicians to serve communities with the greatest healthcare needs.
