How to Apply
Thank you for considering application to the Preventive Medicine Residency at UNC. We are proud to be one of the oldest and largest Preventive Medicine Residencies in the country. Each year, we accept up to 5 applicants based on the alignment of their goals and career background with the program. Our faculty are happy to have a brief phone call with prospective applicants outside of the interview season to discuss your educational goals. Reach out to the coordinator to arrange.
Our application process is as follows:
- Apply through ERAS (Due Nov 1st)
- Include a 2-page personal statement describing your specific interests in preventive medicine and your goals for this training.
- Through ERAS, please include 3 letters of recommendation, including one from the program director of your clinical residency program. The other two should be from medical staff of your residency training institution. Please make sure all letters are from your most recent ACGME accredited residency program or fellowship.
- Include your state medical license information, if applicable.
- Apply online to the UNC Graduate School at https://sph.unc.edu/students/how-to-apply/ for application to the on-campus degree program (MPH) in the School of Public Health (SPH). You must apply separately to the SPH through the SOPHAS system prior to the graduate school application process.
- The SOPHAS Application includes the question, “Are you also applying to the UNC Preventive Medicine or Duke Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency via ERAS?” Be sure to indicate that you have applied to our program to ensure appropriate processing of your application.
- You must be accepted into the Gillings SPH in order to be matched with our residency program–if you are having difficulty with the application process, please reach out as soon as you can.
- Be aware of the application deadlines found here: https://gradschool.unc.edu/programs/#598. The 2025 SOPHAS deadline is Feb 1st, and the MPH internal deadline is Feb 11th.
- The on-campus degree program is the one that is required for this Preventive Medicine Residency–do not apply to the online MPH program.
- Register for the NRMP to be included in the Match process.
The deadline to complete the ERAS application is November 1. All qualified applications are reviewed by the residency program faculty. Interviews will begin in October and will be fully virtual again this year. The interview season will end in late January.
Eligible applicants must:
- be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or have a valid J-1 visa; (information for Foreign Medical Graduates can be found here)
- have completed medical training in an accredited medical school;
- have completed/will complete at least one year in an ACGME-accredited clinical residency program;
- have a current certificate from the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), if applicable; and
- have a valid medical license in the United States or be able to obtain one prior to commencing residency.
After the matching process, successful candidates will be required to complete the following:
- Provide an original official medical school transcript directly from the school. (Due within 2 weeks of match with residency. Scans, emails, and ERAS transcripts are not sufficient substitutes.)
- Successful candidates will be prompted to complete an application to our GME Office through our “Medhub” Portal. The GME Office will reach out to individuals to complete this process.
For more information, contact:
Amanda Harvey, MA, C-TAGME
Program Coordinator, Preventive Medicine Residency
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Family Medicine
adharvey@email.unc.edu