Computational Medicine Program
The Computational Medicine Program offers current ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é undergraduate and master’s students preferred admission to Thomas Jefferson University’s (SKMC).
Students admitted into this early assurance program will get a chance to work with SKMC faculty during the summer of their junior year. So long as all requirements are met, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) requirements will be waived for students in the program.
Entry to the Computational Medicine Program is very competitive, with only five to ten ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é students chosen each year. Students should apply to this program during the second semester of their sophomore year and successful applicants will be notified prior to the start of their junior year.
Requirements are listed below for two different tracks for undergraduate students interested in the program: one for Computer Science and Data Science related fields, the other for Electrical Engineering. Please contact Jonathan Bratt at jonathan.bratt@rochester.edu before you apply.
Want to learn more about computational medicine at SKMC? Check out their .
Why SKMC and Computational Medicine
The Computational Medicine Program at Sidney Kimmel Medical College encourages me to become a future physician who could contribute to making precision medicine possible. By early admission into Sidney Kimmel Medical College through the program, I gain time to pursue interdisciplinary expertise in biochemistry and data science, which provide me with knowledge of technologies that make precision medicine tangible: Molecular biology tools that quickly generate digitized sequence data at a low cost and efficient algorithms and computational power for comparative genomics analysis. Moreover, I use the additional time to engage with the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é community through volunteering and grow as a scientist by participating in osteoimmunology research. Through the program, I will also gain computational biology research experience during the summer of junior year at the Computational Medicine Center and continue this line of research in medical school as a scholarly inquiry. The Computational Medicine Program fosters future physicians who dream of realizing precision medicine like no other program. –Kari Chen, UR student
“Being a computational medicine scholar enhanced the trajectory of my career. To look at the patterns of disease and develop targeted novel diagnostic or interventional tools, using traditional bioengineering or modern computational techniques, is the future. SKMC’s computational medicine program put me on the first flight to being involved in this revolution.
I met some of my most wonderful and endeared mentors through this program, I was able to focus on a field of my interest instead of a generalized premed curriculum… I learned about SKMC’s strong emphasis on public health, scientific research, and holistic medicine within their signature MD curriculum, and I found a renewed love on what I want my career as a physician-engineer to look like.” –Meah, UR alum
Tuition and Fees
SKMC Scholars will not be charged for mentored summer experiences or for required pre-matriculation educational modules.
Applying
In order to apply, undergraduate students must be second semester sophomores. Masters students will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Students interested in applying this year must schedule a meeting with Jonathan Bratt, career advisor in the healthcare community in the Greene Center for Career Education, through or by sending an email to jonathan.bratt@rochester.edu.
After meeting with Mr. Bratt, students will receive instructions on how to obtain the application form. In addition to submitting an application, students will need to submits a CV and transcript in the application portal of SKMC’s site. Three letters of recommendation should be sent directly from letter writers to Dr. Michael Stillman at SKMC. At least two of these recommendations must be from STEM faculty with whom students have worked closely.
This year’s deadline for application is January 29, 2024.
All applications will be evaluated first by members of the SKMC faculty with expertise in computational sciences and engineering, then by the SKMC committee on admissions. Applications are evaluated based on academic performance, career goals, civic engagement outside the classroom, and communication skills.
Finalists will be invited to interview with members of the Admissions Committee and other faculty. This year, invited applicants will be will be offered in-person interviews at SKMC on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
If accepted into the program, students will be expected to complete the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) prior to matriculation at SKMC. Admitted students also have the option to defer matriculation to SKMC for up to one year.
Eligibility
Applicants should be full-time students either enrolled or interested in a degree program (data sciences, computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field) that will provide them with the core data sciences-related skill set.
Students must also have a minimum composite SAT score (Critical Reading and Mathematics) of 1350, with no score in either section lower than 650. Alternatively, students may submit ACT scores and must have achieved at least a 30. Otherwise outstanding applicants who fall just short of these requirements but who are enthusiastically endorsed by the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é faculty may be considered for acceptance.
Students must maintain good standing while at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é, with no academic or non-academic disciplinary violations. Students with minor and/or first time infractions may still be accepted if enthusiastically endorsed by ASE faculty and with justification from College program administrators.
Students cannot have any withdrawn or repeated courses on their transcript (in certain cases, students who have done so but who still meet admission requirements and are enthusiastically endorsed by the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é faculty may be considered for acceptance).
Before applying: Students need to have completed at least three of the required core natural science and statistics courses, with a minimum of one term carrying two or more of these courses. The remaining courses must be completed prior to matriculation to SKMC:
- *CHEM 131: Chemistry Concepts, Systems and Practices I with Lab
- *CHEM 132: Chemistry Concepts, Systems and Practices II with Lab
- *CHEM 203: Organic Chemistry I with Lab
- Plus one of the following:
- BIOL 110: Principles of Biology I with Lab
- BIOL 112: Perspectives in Biology I with Lab
- Plus one of the following:
- STAT 211: Applied Statistics for Social Sciences I
- STAT 212: Applied Statistics I
- STAT 213: Elements of Probability and Mathematical Statistics
- STAT 214: Biostatistics
*Students with advanced high school standing may substitute the three required chemistry courses with CHEM 171 and 172.
Students also must have completed at least three of the seven required computational science courses. There are two tracks to meet these required courses for the program (CSC track and ECE track). At least three of the following seven courses in one of the tracks must be complete prior to application, with the remaining four of that track to be completed during applicants' junior year, prior to undertaking their mentored summer experience:
CSC Track
- MATH 161: Calculus IA
- MATH 150: Discrete Mathematics
- CSC 171: Introduction to Computer Science
- CSC 172: Data Structures and Algorithms
- CSC 240: Data Mining
- CSC 261: Database Systems
- CSC 299: Social Implications of Computing
ECE Track
- MATH 161: Calculus IA
- MATH 150: Discrete Mathematics
- ECE 114: Intro to C/C++ Programming
- CSC 172: Data Structures and Algorithms
- ECE 280: Uncertainties and Scientific Puzzles
- ECE 246: Digital Signal Processing
- ECE 247: Digital Image Processing or CSC 261: Database Systems
Additional Requirements
Once they have been notified of their admission into the program, accepted students will be expected to complete a set of curricular requirements at ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é that correspond to SKMC entry competencies. These will include basic biology, basic chemistry, and statistics courses.
It is important to note that acceptance into this program is provisional upon a number of things, including:
- Successful completion of required coursework, including the remaining required natural science and statistics courses and math and computer science courses described above
- Successfully completing a series of online computer modules reviewing foundational scientific concepts
- Satisfaction of all program requirements
- Obtaining a degree from the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é