The BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine is committed to training of the next generation of great physicians. Our faculty are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for our specialty and its important role in the health of the community through the Summer Immersion Program in Emergency Medicine.
The month-long program is open to students completing their first year of medical school at UW SMPH. The program equips students who have an interest in Emergency Medicine (EM) with practical skills, clinical exposure, and a deeper understanding of the specialty, while providing insights into emergency department operations.
The program is designed for students who identify as being from a disadvantaged background and who aim to support communities historically excluded from resources.
Important Dates
4-week standalone program: June 29–July 24
10-week (Shapiro) program: May 18–July 24
Deadline to apply: February 16
Notified by early March
Program Overview
The Summer Immersion Program allows students to explore EM as a career by engaging in multiple educational activities and dedicated mentorship from our distinguished faculty, including participating in shadowing experiences in the emergency department alongside EM attending physicians.
The Summer Immersion Program is delivered as a four-week, stand-alone capstone experience, or as a two-week capstone experience following eight weeks of dedicated work on Shapiro research projects, for a total combined program length of 10 weeks.
Students in the dual Shapiro-Immersion program will be supported in arranging breaks/time off in coordination with program faculty. At this time, the dual program is only available to students with an EM faculty mentor for their Shapiro research project.
Program Highlights
- $450 weekly stipend to be used toward housing, travel, and other needs
- Dedicated mentorship and networking opportunities
- Extensive shadowing experiences with EM faculty in multiple clinical settings
- Structured debriefing and reflection of clinical and program experiences
- Participation in departmental didactic conferences and special events
Program Eligibility
- UW SMPH student entering their second year with an interest in pursuing Emergency Medicine as a career path.
- Has support of the Associate Dean for Students to participate. Conditional approval will be secured by Summer Immersion Program leadership. No action is required from the student prior to or after applying to the program.
- Meets one or more criteria listed below:
-
- High level of financial need; and/or
- First generation college student (neither parent received a baccalaureate degree); and/or
- Speak a language in addition to English; and/or
- Students likely to contribute varied perspectives to the program because of their life experiences, including overcoming personal adversity or family hardship, records of extensive community service, or successful careers in other fields; and/or
- Significant barriers to achieving higher education, such as experience in the foster care system, living in a single-parent household, having an incarcerated parent, or responsibilities for providing financial support or primary care for other household members; and/or
- Grew up in one of the following areas: a) a U.S. rural area, as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Grants Eligibility Analyzer or b) a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-designated Low-Income and Health Professional Shortage Areas (qualifying zip codes are included in the file); and/or
- Has had experiences of adversity, which could include discrimination; and/or
- Special consideration will be given to those applicants whose prior work experience, area of study, community service, or other accomplishments is predictive of future service to populations that have health disparities.
Application Process
Applications for the 2026 Summer Immersion Program are open!
Please complete the Summer Immersion Program Application Form, in which you will be asked to submit a:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal statement (2 pages maximum, single spaced) in which applicants should:
- Introduce themselves.
- Discuss their current career goals and how participation in the program will help them work to advance these goals.
- Describe what they hope to gain from this experience.
- Briefly describe their Shapiro project, if applying to the 10-week combined program.
Successful applicants will demonstrate:
- their genuine interest in emergency medicine;
- how SIP programming will further their career interests; and
- attention to detail with high-quality application materials overall.
Information in this application form will be confidentially submitted to Niki Hagen, Medical Student Program Manager. Questions or concerns can be directed to Niki at nrhagen@medicine.wisc.edu.
Deadline to apply
Priority deadline for applications is February 16, 2026. Students accepted to the program will be notified via email by early March.