Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarships

These awards consist of five scholarships given to outstanding students entering their third year of medical school who have shown leadership in efforts to promote equal opportunity in medical education and access to quality health care. They also should have demonstrated leadership initiative in addressing educational, societal, and health care needs for underserved populations in the United States.

Each recipient receives a $5,000 scholarship. Recipients are required to accept the award at Learn Serve Lead 2026: The AAMC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA (travel and registration costs covered by the AAMC).

Guidelines for Entry

A medical school may nominate one student per year for this award. A candidate must be:

• A U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or an individual granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status
• Entering the third year of study in an LCME-accredited U.S. medical school in Fall 2026

Students enrolled in combined degree programs (such as MD/PhD) are eligible when they are entering their third year of medical school.

The nomination packet must include:

1. A nomination letter from the medical school’s dean or dean’s designee (not to exceed four double-spaced pages) stating verbatim that the candidate has maintained good academic standing throughout the first two years (maintained good academic standing” must be stated for consideration) and discussing the nominee’s:

• Demonstrated leadership efforts in addressing the educational, societal, and healthcare needs of underserved populations
• Research projects, and/or extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership abilities
• When describing the nominee’s efforts, please indicate their specific role and if these efforts were initiated by the nominee as a new program/initiative or an expanded effort based on existing work.

2. A letter of recommendation from the GSA Student Opportunity, Access and Retention Representative (SOAR) (not to exceed four double-spaced pages). Should the institution not have a GSA SOAR representative, the Student Affairs Representative can serve as a substitute but must be noted in the online contact information section as the replacement.

3. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member (not to exceed four double-spaced pages).

4. A personal statement by the nominee assessing their leadership efforts in promoting equal opportunity in medical education and access to quality health care for underserved populations (not to exceed two double-spaced pages).

5. A curriculum vitae (CV) for the nominee that includes contact information and clearly highlights awards, activities, honors, and scholarships that show commitment to promoting equal opportunity.

All letters and personal statements should be double-spaced, have one-inch margins, and be written in Times New Roman 12-point font. Nomination packets should not include hyperlinks. Hyperlinks will not be reviewed.