The Icahn School of Medicine's Visiting Electives Program for Students Underrepresented in Medicine (VEPSUM) Fellowship

Sponsored by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs, VEPSUM Fellowship offers four-week electives at The Mount Sinai Hospital and its teaching affiliates in the Graduate Medical Education Consortium to a limited number of qualified 4th-year medical students who attend United States accredited medical schools, and who are from groups underrepresented in medicine.  VEPSUM is designed to increase diversity in the house staff and subsequently the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and its affiliated institutions, by helping talented minority medical students gain access to electives in our programs.

Program Details

The application process is open from December 1st through March 15th of the third year of medical school, and decisions will be announced on or before May 1st of the same year.

The 4-week electives take place between August and October of the fourth year of medical school, depending on availability of individual placements.
Students must have completed their required core clerkships before starting the program.
A completed transcript with grades from these clerkships is necessary for a complete application.
There is no VEPSUM application fee.
Housing placement and costs are covered by the VEPSUM program for accepted VEPSUM applicants who are NOT from the New York City metro area. Students from the New York City metro area are expected to cover their own housing and travel costs.
All accepted VEPSUM students will receive a $500 stipend from the Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs. The stipend will be provided to each student during his or her elective rotation.
Students have the opportunity to network with residency program directors, residents, minority faculty and students, and have access to the Office of Graduate Medical Education, Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs, medical school library and departmental seminars and workshops.

Application Process and Application Requirements

To apply to VEPSUM, students must complete the application form electronically and send all required application materials via e-mail in order for the application to be considered complete. Required application materials must be sent to vepsum@mssm.edu with the applicant’s name in the subject line.

Paper applications will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Please submit the following materials:

Complete Application
Please note: Send required materials as email attachments with the applicant’s full name in the subject line.
CV/Resume
Unofficial medical school transcript

Please note: Students must have completed their required core clerkships before starting the program. A completed transcript with grades from these clerkships is necessary for a complete application.
USMLE Step 1 score and USMLE Step 2 scores if available
One letter of recommendation from a Dean at your home institution
One letter of recommendation from a faculty member at your home institution who is in the specialty to which you are applying for in VEPSUM
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If accepted into VEPSUM, students will need to apply through the VSAS system. This should be done only after they have been notified by VEPSUM of their acceptance. VEPSUM will not cover any fees associated with the VSAS process or pre-elective clearance, such as specific medical screenings or clearance required for eligibility to rotate as a visiting student.

Please note: If you are applying to VEPSUM, do not contact the clinical departments or the Office for Student Affairs to coordinate the desired elective.

Applications that are sent only through the Visiting Student Application Service and not through the above procedure will not be considered for allocated funding or elective placements available through VEPSUM.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Program Contact Information

For application questions, please contact:

Sherria McDowell, MPH
Program Manager
Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs
Send email  or call 212-241-8276