For 38 years, the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) and its predecessor programs helped students explore the health professions, strengthen their preparation for advanced study, and pursue careers dedicated to improving health and serving communities.
What began in 1989 as the Minority Medical Education Program grew into a national, interprofessional initiative that ultimately served more than 32,000 students. Over the decades, the program expanded in scope, welcomed new health professions, and evolved alongside changes in health professions education.
SHPEP concluded with its final summer cohort in 2026, but its legacy continues through the thousands of alumni, educators, institutions, partners, and communities shaped by the program. This page highlights the milestones, people, and outcomes that defined SHPEP’s nearly four decades of impact.
SHPEP was a national initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), with direction and technical assistance from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).
38 Years of Impact
Across nearly four decades, SHPEP and its predecessor programs created opportunities for students to explore the health professions, build academic and professional skills, and prepare for advanced education and careers.
Together, these outcomes reflect the reach of a program that grew from a focused effort in medical education into an interprofessional program spanning dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, optometry, public health, physical therapy and physician assistant careers.
Mathematica’s evaluation examined how the program influenced educational and career outcomes for participating students.
Our Story: 1989–2026
SHPEP’s roots date back to 1989, when the first cohort of scholars participated in the Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP). The program grew out of research initiated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in 1984 in response to declines in medical school applicants from racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in medicine. Those findings helped shape MMEP, which was created to strengthen preparation for medical school among African American, Mexican American, mainland Puerto Rican, and American Indian/Alaska Native students. Over time, MMEP expanded to 11 medical school campuses, and in 1993, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) assumed responsibility for the National Program Office.
The program continued to evolve in the decades that followed. In 2003, it became the Summer Medical Education Program (SMEP), reflecting a broader focus on students from a range of economic, cultural, and geographic backgrounds. In 2006, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) joined the partnership, dentistry was added to the program, and it became the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP). The program also sharpened its focus on students early in their undergraduate education—freshman and sophomore years, when participation could have the greatest influence on academic preparation and career planning.
In 2016, the program entered its final major phase of expansion. In recognition of the growing importance of team-based care and interprofessional collaboration, RWJF broadened the program to include pharmacy, nursing, optometry, public health, physical therapy and physician assistant careers and renamed it the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP).
Research found that SHPEP participants reported greater motivation and fewer perceived barriers to entering and succeeding in health professional school.
Explore SHPEP at 25
Created to commemorate the program’s 25th anniversary, this booklet captures an earlier moment in SHPEP’s history and reflects on the people, milestones, and impact that shaped the program’s first quarter-century.
Voices of SHPEP
SHPEP was shaped by the experiences of the students, alumni, faculty, mentors, and program leaders who brought the program to life. Their stories reflect the academic preparation, mentorship, community, and sense of possibility that defined the SHPEP experience.
As part of SHPEP’s 35th anniversary, members of the community reflected on what SHPEP meant to them, how the experience influenced their educational and professional journeys, and the relationships that continued long after the summer program ended.
These stories offer a glimpse into the people behind SHPEP’s impact—and the many ways the program helped scholars envision and pursue futures in the health professions.
Hear from scholars, alumni, program leaders, and partners who helped shape the SHPEP experience.
National Community and Lasting Legacy
SHPEP’s impact was made possible by a national community of scholars, alumni, educators, mentors, institutions, and partners who supported the program across nearly four decades.
Together, they created opportunities for students to explore the health professions, build lasting relationships, and prepare for advanced education and careers. Although SHPEP concluded its final summer cohort in 2026, the program’s legacy continues through the people and institutions that shaped it — and through the communities its alumni continue to serve.