Welcome Back! 

Prehealth advising will continue remotely through the Spring 2021 semester. Please visit Starfish to make an appointment with us! We look forward to chatting with you!

 Registration Round 2

Registration for April, May, and June exam dates will open the week of February 15. All health and safety protocols currently in place will continue and rescheduling and cancellation fees will continue to be waived.

Learn more about MCAT Registration and make-up exam dates.

What's on the MCAT?

Considering MD/PHD or DO/PHD?

If you are currently applying or planning to apply to MD-PhD or DO-PhD programs, the American Physician Scientists Association is supporting you with an interactive session occurring on Thursday, Jan 21, at 7 PM ET. This is geared towards students who are considering a path as a physician-scientist and have questions about MD/DO-PhD programs and/or the application process. A panel of current trainees will be available to answer your questions. Anyone can join; you do not have to be applying this cycle to participate! Register for FREE at bit.ly/SupportApplicants0121. For more information about our sessions as well as an application FAQ document, please visit our website: www.physicianscientists.org/page/interactive-series

What is Empower (formerly known as Voices)?

Sat, Feb 6 2021, 8:30AM – 4:30PM EST

Empower is a networking and professional development conference hosted annually by the State College Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) for students, post-docs, faculty, and professionals in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Fields.

Since 2005, Empower conferences have provided participants with opportunities to interact with others from different backgrounds and experiences, as well as provide them with information to help achieve their academic goals and have a successful work-life balance. Participants have the opportunity to find out how various individuals in the STEM fields handle their education, career, and personal life through discussions about ideas, successes, and struggles with each other. There are several types of sessions throughout the day: breakout, speaker, and keynote. Breakouts are interactive sessions typically paired with small group discussions or activities. Speakers are sessions from a speaker to share various stories, experiences, and advice with attendees. The keynote address is our marquee address, used to bring together the theme and underlying message each year.

REGISTER TODAY!

Empower 2021: Redefining Community

Get involved, expand your network, and build communication skills at the 16th annual Empower conference on

Scribe America

You're invited to the 2021 Virtual ZERO Prostate Cancer Summit, held online from Feb. 28- Mar. 4!

It's free to sign up and a great chance to hear the latest prostate cancer news from experts, survivors, and patients. Plus, it's virtual which means you can tune in at your own pace and schedule.

At the Summit, the foremost experts will provide educational updates on the latest breakthroughs in research, screening, diagnostics, racial disparities, and more. Plus, it's a great opportunity to connect with a nationwide community of over 1,000 patients, survivors, and caregivers. Additionally, prostate cancer survivor and baseball all-star Cal Ripken, Jr. will serve as the event's mission speaker.

It's free to register at zerocancer.org/summitt! Check out some helpful FAQs about what the virtual Summit entails.

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity Hiring

The Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity in the Division of Student Affairs at The Pennsylvania State University seeks to fill part-time Programming and Outreach student positions. These positions will primarily focus on helping to schedule and staff our Anti-Racism programming along with the Graduate Assistant. Along with this responsibility these positions may also be asked to do the following:

Duties will include but are not limited to: 

• Coordinating first year/transfer student Queer Peers program, staffing and daily operations for the Clothing Transit
• Planning, scheduling, and staffing Late Night at the Center events
• Planning, logistics, and staffing of Signature Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity events (i.e. Pride Month, Transgender Awareness Month, LGBTQ History Month, etc.)
• Student group outreach.

Other general office responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• preparing training materials for workshops
• Assisting with general office support such as; answering phone calls, replying to emails, greeting visitors in a positive and professional manner,
• Attending staff meetings
• Staffing informational tables
• Other duties as assigned.

These positions are part-time positions without benefits. Interested students must submit a resume and cover letter as part of a complete application. Hours for each position will vary. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

Apply here.

Opportunities from the Office of Science Engagement

Please check here for announcements from the Office of Science Engagement.

Docs with Disabilities Podcast

Join hosts Drs. Lisa Meeks and Pete Poullos as they take a deeper dive into the experiences of health care providers with disabilities through critical conversations with the doctors, researchers, administrators, faculty and policy makers that work to ensure medicine remains an equal opportunity profession.

MDisability is a collaborative program focused on improving the inclusion of people with disabilities in healthcare research, education, practice and through community engagement.

The Stanford Medicine Abilities Coalition(link is external) is a disability advocacy and health equity organization advancing the inclusion of people with disabilities in the health sciences and advocating for true health equity for our patients with disabilities.

Listen here!

Pandemic Professors

To learn more about Pandemic Professors and their internship opportunities please visit pandemicprofessors.org/volunteer

Benefits of becoming a tutor:

-Show employers, fellowships, and grad schools that you took action to help the most vulnerable during a global pandemic.

-Gain valuable tutoring experience with a non-profit.

-The personal fulfillment of helping others in need.

-A letter of recommendation when needed, for grad school or other opportunities

Requirements:

-2 or more hours per week commitment (flexibility for midterms and finals)

-Tutoring experience is helpful but not required. We offer training and support.

Please send an email to hello@pandemicprofessors.org if you have any questions.

Apply to be a tutor.

SHPEP Summer Program

The recording from the Steps to Success with the SHPEP Application webinar is now available on the Summer Health Professions Education Program YouTube channel. During this 75-minute session, attendees learned about the free educational opportunities SHPEP offers and tips for completing an application. Attendees also gained insight into the virtual experience from an SHPEP Ambassador who participated in 2020.

As a reminder, the SHPEP application deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on February 5, 2020. We encourage those who are eligible for the program to promptly have their materials submitted to the National Program Office (NPO). Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the SHPEP application:  

• Email – shpep@aamc.org  
• Phone – 1 (866) 587- 6337

Spring 2021 RA Recruitment Sessions

Penn State Residence Life is currently recruiting RA’s for Spring 2021, with information sessions and selection process beginning in January. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming an RA go to https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/reslife/ra to learn more. You can learn about eligibility and the application process as well as register for one of their upcoming Information sessions via Zoom.

Hoping to Help; Improving the value of short-term overseas clinical programs in Global Health

January 21 at 10:30 am EST

Dr. Judith N. Lasker is Professor Emerita of Sociology and Health Medicine and Society, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, and is the author of "Hoping to Help; The Promises and Pitfalls of Global Health Volunteering"

This global health forum is sponsored by the Medical School for International Health and the Centre for Global Health of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Register here.

EPPCI Workshops

As you know, EPPIC offers a variety of services for international students and scholars. We are thrilled to offer 27 workshops for student and scholars, including 8 new workshops that focus on interacting in English (speaking and listening in real-time). This semester, all of our programming will be online via Zoom!  

EPPIC will also offer individual consultations on spoken and written academic English: Registration for EPPIC Individual Consultations is open now for appointments starting January 19.  Students/scholars can also sign up for an EPPIC Advising session to learn more about EPPIC services and create a personalized schedule.

We would appreciate your help in sharing this information with colleagues and students in your unit. If you use Canvas, visit Canvas Commons to add EPPIC to your course or groups to provide students with a concise list of our services and links to registration.

Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lectures

This year’s lecture series will focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — a call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030 — and is titled “Sustainability: How Science Can Help Achieve the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.” Each of this year’s lectures will link to one of the seventeen SDGs.

The lecture series this year will be held live via Zoom Video Webinar on six consecutive Saturday mornings, Jan. 23 through Feb. 27, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

More information about the Ashtekar Frontiers of Science Lectures is available at science.psu.edu/frontiers.

The series begins on Jan. 23 with a lecture by Jan W. Low, corecipient of the 2016 World Food Prize and principal scientist with the International Potato Center (CIP), titled "Building Healthier Food Systems for Sub-Saharan Africa With Nutritious, Resilient Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato."

Looking toward the post-pandemic future, many are calling for us to learn from the devastating impact of COVID-19 — especially in developing countries — and build back a better, healthier, more inclusive food system in sub-Saharan Africa. Low will describe how orange-fleshed sweet potato could be key to achieving this goal.

Following Low’s lecture on Jan. 23, the series will continue through Feb. 27 with the following topics:

Jan. 30, “Targeted Therapeutic Intervention Strategies of SARS-CoV-2,” presented by Joyce Jose, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Penn State

Feb. 6, “Educational Disparities Are Not Sustainable,” presented by Nate Brown, professor of mathematics, Penn State

Feb. 13, “Sunshine Into Wood: How Plants Build Their Cell Walls, a Gigaton Source of Renewable Materials and Energy,” presented by Daniel J. Cosgrove, professor of biology, Penn State

Feb. 20, “How Coral May Survive Climate Change,” presented by Iliana Baums, professor of biology, Penn State

Feb. 27, “Mapping a Just and Sustainable Future for Pennsylvania,” presented by Peter Buck, Nebraska Hernandez, and Nyla Holland of the Penn State Sustainability Institute’s Environmental Justice Project

Spring 2021 Spark Program  & URFM scholarship updates

Spark Program:

For the first time ever, first-year undergraduate students at any Penn State campus with a GPA of 3.3 or higher are able to participate! Through Spark, students will have an opportunity to connect with the University Libraries, URFM, and other units across Penn State as they are introduced to such topics as navigating obstacles, student engagement, undergraduate research, and making the most of their undergraduate careers at Penn State. 

Apply here! Deadline Jan 31, 2021.

Scholarships:

Scholarship Applications now open. Click to learn more. 

Food for Thought

Catch up on some of new articles to help you think about a future in healthcare. 

Read more here!

Gap Year Ideas and Opportunities

Thinking of taking a gap year and not sure what to do? Chat with a Prehealth Adviser, and visit this list to get some ideas!

Including a call from a dermatologist looking for a pre-med intern.

Check it out now!

Summer Opportunities

-Check back often-

Want to learn more about opportunities available in the summer?

Click here to learn more!

Virtual Fairs & Open Houses

-Check back often-

Feel like you are missing out by staying at home? Want to learn more about osteopathic medicine, medical school in the Caribbean, or postbacc opportunities? Visit and connect with these and other programs virtually at these live events!

 Check it out today!

Miss an issue of the newsletter? 

Head over to our website for an archive of past issues to see what you missed!