Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health (RUSCH) is a pre-med pipeline program that has been developed by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in partnership with two UW System universities - the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Medically underserved areas in rural and urban Wisconsin are in need of physicians now and the need will continue to grow. The UW School of Medicine and Public Health has created two medical education training programs to help ameliorate this problem - Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine (WARM) and Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health (TRIUMPH).

Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health, established in 2009, will further develop a pool of applicants for these two medical school tracks.

The aim of RUSCH is to select and nurture students who come from diverse backgrounds and show an interest in practicing medicine in rural and urban underserved areas of the state. Applicants must be Wisconsin residents.

RUSCH affords students the opportunity to learn more about careers in medicine, participate in community health improvement projects and medical research, and develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will prepare them for admission to and success at the School of Medicine and Public Health.

Selection

To be eligible to participate in the Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health program, a student must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a resident of the state of Wisconsin
• Be enrolled at UW-Milwaukee or UW-Platteville as an undergraduate student with at least sophomore standing, as a graduate student, or as a student in UW-Milwaukee's post-baccalaureate program
• Have fulfilled science course prerequisites specified for each campus and maintained a GPA of approximately 3.0 or higher
• Demonstrate a commitment to community service
• Complete application, supporting materials and interview

Selection for RUSCH is competitive. Criteria for selection include demonstrated community service commitment, student academic performance and interest in urban or rural underserved medical practice.

Participants

More than 20 students have been selected to participate in the program since the program began in 2009. All fulfilled science course prerequisites, met minimum GPA standards and completed at least one year of undergraduate study.

Acknowledgements

Rural and Urban Scholars in Community Health is made possible by funding and in-kind support from the State of Wisconsin, UW School of Medicine and Public Health, UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee AHEC, Aurora UW Medical Group, City of Milwaukee Health Department, City on a Hill Clinic, UW-Platteville, Southwest Health Center, Doctors Park Physicians, Medical Associates of Platteville and Maski & Maski Clinic.