Introduction:

The School of Medicine Medical Student Awards Committee exits to provide recommendations for selection of award recipients to the School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs and the Dean of the medical school for students enrolled in the BA/MD program, the MD program, and/or the OS/MD program. This applies to all campuses as appropriate for degrees offered. The Committee meets regularly to review award opportunities and nominate eligible students.

Types of Awards:

The awards reviewed by the Committee come from a variety of sources, and each have unique eligibility criteria, nomination, and awarding processes. Definitions of the broad category descriptions you will see on the following two tabs are below:

Outside Awards - These awards are provided by outside organizations or individuals to School of Medicine Students. The Committee may be contacted by the Dean's Office to identify and nominate a student, or the student themselves may see an award they are eligible for and ask the Dean's Office, Office of Student Affairs, or other department to recommend them on behalf of the school.

UMKC Awards - These awards are provided by UMKC or the larger University of Missouri System. These awards may be application or nomination-based, and sometimes we receive a list of eligible students based on academic standing to then nominate from.

SOM Senior Awards - SOM Senior Awards are funded by SOM Endowment accounts and awarded to our graduating class each spring. These awards are largely based on academic merit and speciality. The Office of Student Affairs pulls the academic data and MATCH speciality information and eligible students are chosen by either faculty or the SOM Awards Committee as designated by the award criteria. These awards have no application.

Tips for Students:

For students who wish to be recognized, here are a few tips:

1. Stay up to date on available awards. The Committee will continuously update the awards list as they are notified of new awards that are available annually.

2. The Committee hopes to highlight as many students as they can, so if you think you are a great fit for one of the Outside or other application-based awards, nominate yourself!

Organizations like the National Medical Fellowships and AOA are great places to start your award search. Additionally, review the external scholarships resource list here: https://med.umkc.edu/ext_scholarships/

3. The Committee will utilize data collected from a Red Cap Survey that students will be asked to complete at least annually however this information can be updated at any times. Students are strongly encourage to keep this information update which will include service activities, research activities (publications, presentations), and other schloarly work. Students missing data in areas pertinent to the award may not be considered. ****The link to the survey will be added when it is completed and ready for data entry****

4. Always keep your CV updated. Many nominations require a CV to be submitted along with a written nomination. If you need help creating your CV, check out the resources on the Career Services Canvas page. It may also be helpful at times to provide a draft nomination latter or at least bulleted points to highlight in your letter when asking a staff or faculty member to nominate you for an award.

5. Strive to have high academic achievement throughout your time in the program as this is often a criteria for awards. However, the committee strives to take a holistic approach in considering nominees and awardees within the bounds of the specific award criteria.

Award types:

Outside/UMKC Awards: APPLICATION BASED

Exceptional student leaders who have: 1. Made a positive impact on the institution by celebrating and championing the highest ideals and mission of the university, 2. Inspired the growth and development of fellow students, 3. Advocated for the college experience, both academic and extracurricular, 4.Exhibited outstanding character and collaborative spirit at all times. Nominated students must also be involved in at least 2 organizations, are enrolled full time, and have at least a 3.0 GPA.

SOM Senior Awards: NOT APPLICATION BASED

SOM pulls the graduating class academics (including December grads) and Match data to then send to various parties to make decisions.