UMMS Student Funding

All UMMS medical students planning to engage in international travel for clinical electives and/or research field work must obtain authorization from Global REACH. Applications for student funding are submitted via the same form. Learn more.

45
Students have received Global REACH funding for travel since 2020
$32k
Allocated to support student international travel in 2023
22
International partner institutions with student exchange agreements

Global REACH supports UMMS students participating in educational experiences abroad in a variety of ways. We help connect students with faculty mentors working in their area of interest (geographic or specialty). We advise on pre-departure preparation and requirements. Finally, we offer a variety of funding opportunities for both clinical and research activities.

The various award types are listed below. When you are ready to apply, complete our consolidated Travel Authorization and Funding Request Form. Allow up to 10 business days from form submission for a response. Note that, while users may exit the form and return to pick up where they left off, we will not begin processing requests until the form has been filled out completely.

AWARD TYPES

Research or Clinical? Extended visit or short-term trip? Below, explore which variety of student grant might be the best option for you. You may only apply for one grant/grant type at a time.

Questions? Contact Global REACH visitors coordinator Rima Hassouneh

Global REACH helps many third- and fourth-year medical students spend one of their elective months at a UMMS partner institution overseas. Electives may have a clinical or research focus, with two funding levels depending on the host institution.

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Who: UMMS M3 and M4 students

What: Electives must be a minimum of four weeks and may have a clinical or a research focus. Typically, students set up and plan their own electives, although Global REACH can help identify potential opportunities as well.

Where: Funding is limited to experiences at UMMS partner institutions abroad with active Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements. See the list of more than 20 eligible partner institutions across a dozen countries.

Amount: Awards are given at either $500 or $1500, depending on the partner institution.

Apply: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis via the Travel Authorization/Student Funding Application form.

 

Faculty-Student grants enable faculty members to engage medical students in initiatives with their global partners. This could include early-stage meetings that strengthen relationships and focus on planning future collaborations, educational/capacity-building activities, ongoing longitudinal research projects, and more.

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Who: Faculty/student teams that include a Global REACH Faculty Associate and a UMMS student in good standing. It is available to all degree-seeking students in the medical school (i.e., MD or PhD).

What: Travel grants will be awarded to help offset costs associated with bringing the student to the partner institution.

Amount: Up to $750.

Apply: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis via a two-step process: 1) the faculty member should complete a Faculty-Student Travel Grant Mentor Form and provide it to the student; 2)  the student should complete the Travel Authorization/Student Funding Application, which will prompt you to upload the completed Mentor Form.

 

For UMMS students engaging in Capstone for Impact (CFI) projects in an international setting, Global REACH offers supplemental funding in addition the Medical School's primary CFI grants to help offset the expense of necessary travel.

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Who: UMMS M3 and M4 students enrolled in the Global Health and Disparities (GHD) Path of Excellence.

What: These awards augment the medical school's Capstone for Impact (CFI) grants for those students pursuing projects in an international setting. They are intended to help cover the cost of travel. Time in-country should be a minimum four weeks.

Where: Those projects based in low- to middle-income country (LMIC) settings, as defined by the World Bank, will be prioritized.

Amount: Up to $1,500

Apply: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis via the Travel Authorization/Student Funding Application form.

 

Awards are available to help UMMS students travel to prominent conferences to present work or projects previously enabled by Global REACH funding. Conferences can be held in domestic or international settings. Conferences can be in a domestic or international setting.

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Who: UMMS students whose Global REACH-supported work has been accepted for showcase at a professional conference.

What: Support can be requested for conference registration, poster printing, airfare, lodging, etc.

Amount: Up to $750.

Apply: Complete the Conference Funding Request Form after your poster or abstract has been accepted for showcase – if possible, at least 60 days prior to departure.

 

Through the generous support of Drs. Douglas and Margo Yellin Woll, Global REACH is able to provide up to $2500 to support student educational experiences in low- to middle-income country (LMIC) settings. These scholarships typically support an international clinical elective with an additional scholarly component.

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Who: Third- or fourth-year UMMS students.

What: International clinical clerkships that incorporate an additional scholarly focus (e.g., research, a quality improvement project, or an educational project etc.). Experiences must be 4 or more weeks long.

Where: Woll Scholarships are reserved exclusively for settings designated by the World Bank as LMICs. Preference will be given to applicants pursuing experiences at qualifying UMMS partner institutions (i.e., schools with an active UMMS exchange agreement). See a list here of more than 20 partner institutions across a dozen countries (note that not all are in LMICs).

Amount: Up to $2,500 to help cover the cost of travel and living expenses.

Apply: The application window is currently closed. We will seek applications in the spring for those planning travel in the fall/winter of 2025.

 

Each year, the University of São Paulo Medical School invites medical students from around the world to learn and network for two weeks at Brazil’s preeminent medical and research university. Global REACH offers a $1,000 grant to cover the program's administrative fee for participants selected into the program.

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Who: All students are eligible to apply for the Winter Schools program and the associated Global REACH program support grants. However, priority will be given to students in the Global Health and Disparities (GHD) Path.

What: A two-week program that brings medical students together from all over the world to study and network. There are individual course offerings within the Winter Schools curriculum. Common offerings include cardiology, dermatology, tropical diseases, geriatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics & gynecology, etc.

Where: Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) is a longtime UMMS partner institution as well as the largest higher education and research institution in Brazil. Its affiliated health system, Hospital das Clínicas, is the largest hospital system in Latin America.

Amount: $1,000

When: The application period for the 2024 Winter Schools session is now closed. Look for information about the 2025 session in February.

 

Travel Requirements

Medical students planning to engage in international travel for clinical electives and/or research field work must obtain authorization from Global REACH. Funding applications are included in the same form.

Students must register their travel with the Global Michigan office, which also maintains the University’s international travel policies and keeps a list of travel destinations under current warnings or restrictions.

In addition to registering their travel, students must obtain travel health insurance through Global Michigan.

The University Health Services on campus offers immunizations and pertinent health safety information to students headed abroad on educational experiences.

Students traveling to an international setting as part of an educational program/project are required to complete a pre-departure training module in Canvas that reviews safety, preparation, institutional requirements, and more. To be added to the course, contact Global REACH Visitors Coordinator Rima Hassouneh.

Passports, travel registries, immunizations, insurance ... international educational experiences require lots of advance planning. Check out our Pre-departure Timeline for an overview of what to do and how far in advance to do it.