Global Health

Rural Health Scholars Program

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Dr. Michael McShane carries medical equipment and supplies to a home in rural Pa.

Primary Care for Marginalized Populations

Designed for students who are highly interested in primary care for marginalized populations, the College of Medicine's Rural Health Scholars Program (RHSP) is an innovative approach that gives students and faculty the opportunity to provide that care at a local level. The RHSP allows medical students to work together, both in the classroom as well as in the field. Supervised by faculty, the Rural Health Scholars participate in two immersive learning experiences. The first experience focuses on an introduction to rural health for a marginalized community and participation in developing a community health project. The second immersive experience, occurring in the students’ senior year, provides students with an opportunity to participate in clinical care at the same location.

Program Timeline

Year 1

Summer Immersive Community Experience in rural Pennsylvania

Introduction to rural health issues and advocacy

Mentorship and advisory sessions

Year 2

Continued community and clinical training experiences

Networking events and scholarly activities

Year 3

One core clerkship with rural clinical partner

Further mentorship and advisory sessions

Year 4

Advanced rural clinical elective

Completion of Capstone Project

Opportunity to present at Rural Health Conference

Program Details

Students in the Rural Health Scholars Program receive ongoing mentorship, medical education specific to the site, collaboration with Penn State Dickinson Law on advocacy topics and law, and several sessions by College of Medicine faculty on global and community health-related issues.

Through this longitudinal relationship with a local marginalized population, it is our hope and expectation that students and faculty will be greatly enriched and the health and welfare of the people served will be measurably improved.

Through completion of this four-year track students will receive:

Credit for completion of Global Health Scholars Program-specific electives (GH717, GH727, GH747)
Mentoring relationships with highly interested faculty
Skills for community engagement, basic health data collection and analysis and community health intervention development with implementation

Students will be integral decision-makers in the program with the goal of measurably improving the health of the residents of a marginalized community in Pennsylvania.

Sites for 2025

Indiana, Pennsylvania: Dr. Leesha Helm and Dr. Amanda Vaglia, site leads, will accept up to 2 students

Snowshoe, Pennsylvania: Dr. Leesha Helm and Dr. Michael McShane, site leads, will accept up to 2 students

How to Apply

The Rural Health Scholars Program is open to first-year medical students attending Penn State College of Medicine. Interested students are selected through an application process consisting of a written application and individual interviews with faculty site leads for selected tracks and Global Health Center administrators.

Prior to applying we strongly recommend that interested students attend the Global Health Center Information Sessions and review information about each unique site the program offers. Students are encouraged to contact Tamika Washington, Global Health Center assistant director (twashington4@pennstatehealth.psu.edu).

The application deadline for 2024-25 has passed.