Framingham State Partners with UMass on New Pathway to Medical School

FRAMINGHAM, MA – Framingham State University (FSU) has announced a new partnership with UMass Chan Medical School that creates a pathway to medical school for qualified FSU students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those who will be the first in their families to earn a 4-year college degree.

Through the partnership, eligible students may apply to the Baccalaureate MD Pathway Program, which can provide provisional acceptance to UMass Chan Medical School for students who successfully complete all program requirements.

“This partnership reflects Framingham State University’s longstanding commitment to expanding access to opportunity and ensuring that talented students – regardless of background – can pursue careers that have a profound impact on their communities,” says Framingham State President Nancy Niemi. “By working with UMass Chan Medical School, we are helping to remove barriers to medical education while preparing a compassionate, highly skilled workforce that better represents the many diversities in our community.”

Students apply during their sophomore year to become Medical Scholars, the first phase of the program. Each cohort, which will include approximately 15–25 students from FSU and other partner colleges, provides participants with year-long individualized pre-medical advising, two summer enrichment experiences, and access to MCAT preparation resources.

Medical Scholars will also engage in a wide range of academic and clinical immersion experiences designed to provide early exposure to the medical profession. These opportunities include book clubs, interactions with physicians and medical students, and clinical observations at UMass Memorial Medical Center. Together, these experiences help students better understand the academic rigor, professional expectations, and lived experience of medical training and practice.

“The BaccMD Program offers our students the mentorship, academic preparation, and clinical exposure they need to succeed at the highest levels,” says Dr. Lauren Nolfo-Clements, Framingham State’s Dean of the College of STEM. “This pathway recognizes that potential is everywhere, even when opportunity is not, and it builds a supportive bridge from Framingham State to medical school for students who are ready to serve and lead in healthcare.”

Students who successfully complete the BaccMD Program can receive provisional acceptance to the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, removing significant barriers to medical school access and helping diversify the future healthcare workforce.

Approximately 50 percent of Framingham State University’s undergraduate students are first-generation college students, underscoring the impact and importance of pathway programs that expand access to high-demand, high-impact careers such as medicine.

Pre-Health Advisor Dr. Shelli Waetzig, Chair of the Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Food Science Department, and Dr. Aline Davis, Biology Department, helped establish the new partnership and are in the process of recruiting the first cohort of students.

Learn more at www.framingham.edu.