Pathways to Medicine Scholarship

Pathways to Medicine Scholarship Program

Our mission is to empower students across Alberta
to overcome obstacles and achieve success towards
a fulfilling career in Medicine.

What is the Pathways to Medicine Scholarship Program?

The Pathways to Medicine (P2M) Scholarship is an initiative of the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) at the University of Calgary. Since 2016, this scholarship has facilitated the career development of promising high school graduates from low socioeconomic backgrounds with a career goal of becoming a physician. There is a particular interest in rural and Indigenous students. Five P2M Scholarships will be awarded each year.

The Pathways to Medicine scholarship was created in recognition of the extensive body of literature showing that patients have better outcomes when they have more in common, sociodemographically, with the physicians who are providing their care. In order to meet its obligations to the public it serves, it is important for the CSM to create training opportunities for physicians who come from a wide range of sociocultural and economic backgrounds. Other research, however, shows that students from low-income backgrounds, despite great enthusiasm for a medical career at the time of high school graduation, are much less likely to apply to medical school upon university graduation. The P2M scholarship aims to address that gap by supporting a small group of exceptional students through their pre-medical journey.

Scholarship winners will receive:

Tuition Coverage

$5,000 per year for a maximum of four years

MCAT Support

Access to a sponsored MCAT Preparatory Course and the cost of the exam

Mentorship

A CSM Faculty Mentor and Student Mentor for the duration of a student's undergraduate program

Enrichment Program

Access to relevant workshops and seminars focused on your professional and personal development

Community of Peers

Establish connections with a cohort of peers and all previous scholarship recipients.  

Acceptance into CSM

Upon completion of the program, assuming pre-defined criteria are met, students will be granted admission into the Cumming School of Medicine

How to apply for the Pathways to Medicine scholarship

Applicants will be informed of award decisions by the end of June

Become a student

Apply to the University of Calgary by March 1

Go to application page

Apply for awards

When applying for student awards, applicants must indicate the desire to be considered for a Pathways to Medicine Scholarship.  Deadline for awards application is March 1.

How to apply for awards

Submitting Preliminary Application

Successful applicants will be contacted and asked to submit a preliminary application.

Download the applicant manual

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. University of Calgary Application

    Applicants must independently apply to an undergraduate program at the University of Calgary by March 1.

  2. Alberta Residency

    Applicants must be Alberta residents as defined by the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) admissions policy and will be graduating from a high school within the province.

  3. Lower-Socio Economic Status

    Eligibility is based on lower socioeconomic status, defined as having an average gross familial income of 1.5x or less than the “Low-Income Cut-Offs” (LICO) chart presented by Statistics Canada (before tax) for the past few years. Additional information on this point can be found in the P2M Applicant Manual.

  4. Consideration for Indigenous and Rural Backgrounds:

    Special consideration will be given to applicants of Indigenous ancestry or from rural communities in Alberta.

  5. Nomination Letter Requirement

    Applicants must submit a Nomination Letter from a representative of a recognized community, including but not limited to a high school principal/teacher, coach, organization, Indigenous leader, or rural community.

  1. March 1st

    Application deadline 

  2. Early March

    Eligible Applicants will recieve the Preliminary Application

  3. Late March

    Preliminary Applications Due 

  4. Mid April

    Applicants are notified. Secondary Applications sent out to shortlisted applicants.

  5. Late May

    Secondary Applications Due & Multiple Mini Interviews. 

  6. Late June

    P2M Finalists Notified

Pathways to Medicine offers different opportunities for Cumming School of Medicine faculty to be involved. If you want to become involved with the Pathways to Medicine Scholarship program, please contact the program coordinator at pathways@ucalgary.ca and share what areas you would like to contribute. Please include your name, current position, area of interest and brief background description. 

Listed below are a few ways in which CSM faculty frequently support Pathways scholars. 

  1. Faculty Mentorship

    Each of the scholars will be assigned a faculty member to act in the role of formal mentor. The relationship can be extended on an annual basis by mutual agreement if it continues to meet the needs of both the student and the mentor. The expectation is that mentors will meet with the student a minimum of four times during the year, provide advice on personal, professional and academic development, and assist the student in identifying appropriate extra-curricular activities to suit their interests. Mentors need not be MD’s but must hold a faculty appointment (either GFT or clinical) within the Cumming School of Medicine.

  2. Clinical Shadowing

    The P2M scholars will have completed the necessary documentation and privacy training in order to shadow clinically within AHS. They are generally keen to gain some experience within the health care system, and unlike many traditional MD applicants, come from families without health care professionals who can assist them in setting up these kinds of experiences. Shadowing arrangements will be left up the scholars and the willing physicians, but may be individual “one-off’s” or on-going longitudinal experiences.  We plan to collate a list of interested MD’s (attending and residents) and have the scholars contact those individuals directly.

  3. Seminar Series

    The scholars will meet bi-monthly for an ongoing enrichment seminar series. These sessions are intended to help the scholars build a sense of community as a group as well as supplement their traditional in-class learning. Topics will vary, but will include sessions related to their education generally (e.g. study skills, MCAT prep), medically relevant topics (e.g. population health, medical communication) and sessions designed simply to help maintain their focus on the long term goal (e.g. introduction to X-ray interpretation, casting, suturing). The topics will be set two to three months in advance, and are subject to revision, so the program is very open to suggestions from people who may be interested in presenting /facilitating one or more sessions.

  4. Employment or Research Experience

    Pathways students often face systemic barriers that limit access to networks and gainful experiences. Including them in research helps close opportunity gaps and supports their pathway to becoming a physician. Their diverse lived experiences bring fresh insights, foster innovation, and make research more relevant to real-world challenges. This not only advances social justice but also enhances the quality and creativity of academic work. Investing in their potential builds a stronger, more diverse pipeline of future scholars, benefiting both the individual student and the broader academic community. If you have a role that you would like a Pathways Scholar in, please reach out. 

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