Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Association of American Medical Colleges

Overview
Five scholarships will be awarded to exceptional students who will be entering their third year of medical school and who have shown leadership in advancing equal opportunity in medical education and improving access to quality health care. Nominees should have a proven record of leading efforts to meet the educational, societal, and health care needs of underserved communities within the United States.

Award details
- Each award carries a $5,000 scholarship.
- Awardees must accept their scholarship in person at Learn Serve Lead 2026: The AAMC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA. (AAMC will cover travel and registration expenses.)

Eligibility
- Each LCME-accredited U.S. medical school may submit one nomination per year.
- Nominees must be one of the following: a U.S. citizen, a U.S. lawful permanent resident, or an individual granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status.
- The nominee must be entering the third year of study in an LCME-accredited U.S. medical school in Fall 2026. Students in combined-degree tracks (for example, MD/PhD) are eligible so long as they are entering their third year of medical school at that time.

Nomination packet — required components
1. Nomination letter from the medical school dean or the dean’s designee (maximum four double-spaced pages). This letter must explicitly state the phrase “maintained good academic standing” to confirm the candidate’s academic status for the first two years. The letter should also address the nominee’s:
- Leadership in addressing the educational, societal, and health care needs of underserved populations;
- Relevant research and/or extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership; and
- The nominee’s specific role in these efforts and whether the activities were initiated by the nominee as a new program/initiative or were an expansion of existing work.

2. Letter of recommendation from the GSA Student Opportunity, Access and Retention (SOAR) Representative (maximum four double-spaced pages). If no GSA SOAR representative exists at the institution, a Student Affairs Representative may provide this letter as a substitute; in that case the substitute must be identified in the online contact information as the replacement.

3. Letter of recommendation from a faculty member (maximum four double-spaced pages).

4. Personal statement by the nominee (maximum two double-spaced pages) describing and evaluating their leadership efforts to promote equal opportunity in medical education and improve access to quality health care for underserved populations.

5. Curriculum vitae (CV) that includes contact information and clearly highlights awards, honors, activities, and scholarships that reflect the nominee’s commitment to advancing equal opportunity.

Formatting and submission notes
- All letters and the nominee’s personal statement must be double-spaced, use one-inch margins, and be written in Times New Roman, 12-point font.
- Nomination packets must not contain hyperlinks; any links included will not be reviewed.