Undergraduate JAMP students learn about medical school and themselves during program through McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Medical school, MCAT preparations, interview tips, philanthropy, team building: these are all things undergraduate students learn during the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. But most importantly, they learn about themselves. 

Funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, JAMP is a collaboration that includes McGovern Medical School as one of 14 medical schools in the state that provides financial aid, scholarships, summer stipends, internships, clinical experiences, comprehensive Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation, and dedicated mentoring to undergraduate students interested in attending medical school. The goal is to support economically disadvantaged, yet highly qualified, Texas students aspiring to become physicians.

The current McGovern Medical School council member for JAMP, Rachel Jantea, MD, knows exactly what these students are going through, as she was a JAMP student almost 20 years ago. 

“I walked away feeling like I had a team, or a family of support, that encouraged me and made it possible for me,” Jantea said about her JAMP experience. “I want them to know they deserve to be here.”

When she became faculty at the school, the first thing she did was reach out to see who coordinated the JAMP program.

“JAMP is the reason I am here today,” Jantea said. “I know that every single one of those students’ lives is impacted the same way.” 

Yolanda Bell, MEd, director of academic advising and JAMP coordinator at McGovern Medical School, has spent the last seven years designing and adjusting the JAMP summer internship curriculum at McGovern Medical School. She makes sure the students are inspired by asking them what they want from the experience. Since the students come to JAMP on the heels of taking the MCAT for the first time, she wants them to feel motivated and not discouraged.

“I wanted to take it out of just a lecture and veer towards a human experience,” Bell said about how she structures the curriculum. “It really connects the dots of why they are taking this path.”

Students participate in a philanthropy project while they are in the program. This year, they went to Nora’s Home, which gives organ transplant patients and their families an affordable place to stay in the Texas Medical Center. JAMP students bought and cooked a pasta dinner for the residents. The project, coupled with group outings like an Astros game and a yoga class, helps to provide a well-rounded experience. 

“We want to show them how to maintain their mental health through medical school and through life,” said Erin Davis, JAMP support assistant at McGovern Medical School. “We strive to build a foundation of self-awareness and self-confidence, but also community building.” 

Julie Trinh is a senior at Rice University going through the JAMP program. She says that her experience has been eye-opening.

“In the short weeks I’ve been here, I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do,” Julie said. “My mentors have shown me how McGovern Medical School wants a well-rounded community of medical students, and it has helped me become a better person.”