SMDEP Celebrates 25 years of "Shaping Careers, Changing Lives"

The Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP, formerly MMEP and SMEP), celebrates 25 years of “Shaping Careers, Changing Lives.” MMEP, SMEP and SMDEP alumni are invited to attend and reconnect with fellow alumni at the SMDEP 25th Anniversary Alumni Luncheon on Friday, December 5, 2014, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Loews Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C.  To attend the free event, register here.

For 25 years, SMDEP has successfully empowered American Indian and other underrepresented students to realize their dreams in health and health care.  SMDEP has served as a prime pipeline for culturally diverse health professionals committed to caring for underserved populations—a crucial step to eliminating health disparities. Read about SMDEP alumni Sen. Carlyle Begay (2001) and Nichole June Maher, MPH (1998) who are committed to improving health outcomes for Native communities. Begay, age 33 and of Navajo Nation, influences policies for Arizona’s 7th Senatorial District that will improve life expectancy rates for his 69 percent American Indian community disproportionately impacted by congestive heart disease and diabetes. For Maher who is a member of the Tlingit Tribe of southeast Alaska, growing up on Oregon’s Siletz reservation gave her a passion for public health. As head of the Native American Youth and Family Center, Maher has worked alongside Portland’s Native community to build healthy childhoods.

The free, six-week Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded academic enrichment program has created a pathway for more than 22,000 participants, opening the doors to life-changing opportunities.