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Sponsored by the UNC School of Medicine Faculty Pipeline Initiatives and named in honor of the late Mr. Larry D. Keith, a nationally-recognized pioneer for diversity at UNC SOM.

The visiting student elective is an invaluable experience and opportunity for assessment and evaluation of a candidate’s preparedness and potential for success in the most highly competitive medical specialty training programs. The Larry D. Keith Visiting Student Electives Scholarship serves to supplement the cost of this training opportunity and specifically targets all medical students committed to serving in underserved communities, we encourage underrepresented medical students in particular to apply.

The UNC School of Medicine, in conjunction with UNC Graduate Medical Education, strives to create and sustain a teaching, learning, and training environment of inclusion and diversity that embraces individuals of all races, genders, ethnicities, and religions.

As we continuously aspire to be one of the nation’s top public schools of medicine, we seek also to increasingly diversify our residency training programs and develop faculty leaders through excellent education, training innovation, and providing exceptional support.

UNC SOM and UNC Healthcare is committed to attract from around the nation the most qualified and skilled medical students from underrepresented and underserved communities. We extend this opportunity to fully experience our medical specialty training programs for future residents by offering the Larry D. Keith Visiting Student Electives Scholarship.

Program Description

All scholarship recipients will complete a 4-week rotation in a chosen elective, meet with the respective program directors, and have informal as well as formal opportunities to meet with faculty, and resident mentors at the UNC SOM. At this time, the scholarship applies only to electives completed onsite at Chapel Hill.

Please note that scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis and applicants will be notified of final decisions when the selection process is complete. There are limited scholarships available.

Requirements

To qualify for the scholarship, applicant must apply via VSAS on the AAMC website and be accepted into a clerkship rotation, as well as submit the scholarship application.

  • Enrolled in an MD or DO, US medical school program (must be a LCME Accredited Institution)
  • U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and permanent residents.
  • Currently enrolled 4th year medical students
  • Have completed core clinical clerkships prior to participation in the visiting clerkships
  • Have a record of good academic standing
  • A medical student committed to serving in underserved communities

How to Apply

Please download application below for instructions on how to apply:
Download Application

  • If you plan on applying for the Visiting Student elective, please first complete your VSAS application.
  • Once you have received and confirmed your offer of acceptance for a visiting rotation at the UNC School of Medicine (Chapel Hill site only), please email a copy of your letter of acceptance to the attention of Virginia Nadworny as an attachment to the following email address: Virginia_Nadworny@med.unc.edu
  • Please submit the scholarship application as a PDF via email to Virginia Nadworny at Virginia_Nadworny@med.unc.edu as soon as you have received and confirmed your acceptance for a visiting elective rotation at UNC SOM in Chapel Hill.
  • The VSAS and the LDK Scholarship applications must both be submitted. It would be most helpful if you could send both the VSAS letter of acceptance and the LDK application as attachments in one email.
  • The scholarship recipients will be selected from those applicants who are approved and subsequently confirm acceptance for a visiting elective rotation at UNC SOM in Chapel Hill.

Available Rotations

  • Anesthesiology
  • Dermatology
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Family Medicine
  • Medicine
  • Neurology
  • Neurosurgery
  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Orthopaedics
  • Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery
  • Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
  • Pediatrics
  • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
  • Psychiatry
  • Radiology
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Surgery
  • Urology

Rotation Dates

The scholarship is only offered for rotations scheduled during the months of May – December of each calendar year. Please view our calendar for VSAS application deadlines.

Financial Award

Recipients of the Larry D. Keith Visiting Student Electives Scholarship will receive a $1,000.00 stipend to help supplement the costs of housing, travel, and miscellaneous expenses while visiting UNC Visiting Electives.

Contact

For more information about the UNC Visiting Student Program, please visit: https://www.med.unc.edu/ome/studentaffairs/visiting-student-program

For any questions or concerns regarding the scholarship, please contact:
Virginia Nadworny
Virginia_Nadworny@med.unc.edu