University of Illinois College of Medicine GPPA Medical Scholars Program

Building Excellence in the Continuum of Medical Education: Perspective and Prospective

The University of Illinois College of Medicine Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions (GPPA) Medical Scholars Program commenced in 1996.

The GPPA Medical Scholars Program represents a learning community dedicated to learning and enhancing skills characteristic of scholarship, inquiry and life long learning necessary to professional leadership in medicine and life. The mission of the GPPA Medical Scholars Program is to facilitate an undergraduate education with emphasis on the sciences and liberal arts and exploration of the role of medicine in the evolution of the social contract and social justice. Our goal is to produce leaders of the future, capable of critical thinking and analysis who are active participants and solvers of medical and social problems.  With a rich network of peers, alumni, and faculty in an environment of collaborative learning and support, students excel at UIC and go on to receive external fellowships including Goldwater, Fulbright, Truman, Gates Cambridge, and Clarendon Oxford; and many have been awarded the Riddle Prize for the most successful UIC graduate in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Students are encouraged to explore their passions and permitted to major in an array of offerings. It is common to find our students majoring in non-science disciplines including the social sciences and humanities based majors. Although it is not mandatory for graduates to attend the University of Illinois College of Medicine, over 80% of our graduates continue their training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and others attend other top tier schools.  Our GPPA Medicine alumni are found in distinguished institutions throughout the country.

The GPPA Medical Scholars program is led by Dr. Donald A. Chambers.

Building Excellence in the Continuum of Medical Education: Perspective and Prospective

We celebrated our 25th Anniversary of the Medical Scholars Program through four symposia, bringing together leaders in medical education to focus on Building Excellence in the Continuum of Medical Education: Perspective and Prospective. The titles and recordings to the four symposia are:

  1. The Scope of Medicine and the Social Contract (Oct. 14, 2021, 5-7:30pm); access recording here.
  2. Meeting the Challenges of Excellence and Diversity (Nov. 18, 2021, 5-7:30pm); access recording here.
  3. Building Excellence in the Continuum of Medical Education (Jan. 20, 2022, 5-7:30pm); access recording here; and
  4. The BA-MD Experience (February 24, 2022, 5-7:30pm); access recording here.

For more information about the 25th Anniversary symposia please visit: MSP Brochure.

For a general description of all the University of Illinois GPPA programs visit UIC GPPA.