Health Career Opportunity Programs

Marja M. Hurley, M.D.

Associate Dean and Director
Office of Health Career Opportunity Programs

The Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs is an integral part of the School of Medicine’s educational community at the University of Connecticut Health Center. The School of Medicine is actively committed to the recruitment, retention and graduation of a diverse medical student population capable of providing culturally competent health care.

Since the inception of the department in 1986, one of its goals has been to develop and identify an outstanding diverse applicant pool. It is our belief that early exposure to the various fields in the biomedical sciences will ultimately increase the diverse pool of students who pursue careers in medicine. The outstanding programs and activities that are designed, coordinated and implemented through this department, have proven to be top-notch. Statistics indicate that underrepresented students, who have participated in the pipeline of programs, have successfully completed their undergraduate degrees and have actualized their goals of entering medical school. It is for this reason that the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Health Professions Partnership Initiative has recognized the programs and activities sponsored through the Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs as a national model. To date we have accomplished our goals and continue to develop new programs and fine-tune existing ones.

An equally important goal of the department is to help create a supportive environment for those students who are accepted and choose to matriculate in our medical school. All students who matriculate in the medical program will find a caring faculty who are willing to provide mentoring and support. This is facilitated in part by our relatively small class size. The department supports student organizations such as the Student National Medical Association and the ever-popular "Culture Shock."

We are very proud of the students who have matriculated and graduated from our medical school and we look forward to welcoming you into our community. If you desire additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at 860-679-3483.