Program History

In 1988, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation established the Minority Medical Education Program (MMEP) to increase the number of highly qualified medical school applicants from minority groups that were underrepresented in medicine—primarily African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians. MMEP supported six medical schools in offering a free, six-week medical school preparatory program. The Association of American Medical Colleges assumed the role of National Program Office for MMEP in 1993.

Over the years, MMEP's intensive academic preparation program expanded to 11 campuses. In addition, the program broadened its initial focus on specific minority groups to include students who were from rural areas, economically disadvantaged, and came from groups that have historically received substandard health care regardless of their racial or ethnic background.

In 2003, the program changed its name to the Summer Medical Education Program (SMEP), reflecting the inclusion of students representing a wide range of economic, cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity. The Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) builds on the lessons learned from those earlier programs. It expanded to include pre-dental students who face challenges similar to those of pre-medical students, and it focuses on students in the first two years of their college education because the experience of previous programs indicates that this is when students derive the most benefit.