Our Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) accepts applications from mid-November through mid-February each year. Program activities start in June/July. Hopkins PREP is funded through several sources, including the NIH, the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative at Johns Hopkins, and individual research mentors.

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PREP Provides:

• Research experience: Scholars conduct hypothesis-driven research in their Mentor’s lab, with day-to-day guidance by an experienced PhD student or postdoc. Scholars participate fully in weekly lab meetings, attend weekly research seminars in their department, attend a vibrant PhD program retreat and a national conference of their choice.
• Community: Scholars come together each month for two-hour ‘chalk-talk’ events to present and discuss their research with Peer-Mentors (PhD students, postdocs) and faculty.
• Project (‘mini-thesis’) meetings: Scholars gain confidence by organizing, preparing for, and convening three one-hour ‘mini-thesis’ meetings with two subject-expert faculty, plus their research mentor and the PREP Director. Scholars benefit both scientifically and professionally by building strong working relationships with multiple faculty members at Johns Hopkins who are experts in their field of interest.
• Professional training and custom mentoring: Scholars participate in workshops designed to improve their scientific writing skills, and understand ethics in science, and can choose from many other workshops including communication and improvisation. Each Scholar charts an individual development plan with the PREP Director, with custom mentoring both formal (monthly one-hour meetings) and informally as needed.
• Preparation for MCAT exam, graduate school applications and interviews.
• Annual salary of $34,000 plus health, retirement, tuition and other benefits

Who Should Apply:

• US Citizens or Permanent Residents with a keen interest in entering a PhD or MD/PhD program from populations under-represented in the Biomedical Sciences.
• College seniors or recent graduates with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science— including but not limited to biochemistry, bioinformatics, biology, biomedical engineering, biophysics, chemistry, cell biology, computational sciences, genetics, mathematics, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, tissue engineering, virology and related fields.

We consider a variety of factors that demonstrate scientific potential and motivation for PhD careers. Applicants should have strong grades in science and math (GPA 3.3 or better)— or a strong upward trajectory in science/math grades. Exceptions may be made for students with research experience.

The Complete Application

To apply to PREP, you will need:

1. Two letters of recommendation (preferably science faculty from undergrad or summer research experiences)
2. Transcripts for each undergraduate institution attended (transcripts can be unofficial)
3. Current CV or resume
4. Personal Statement
   Your statement can be up to 2 pages, single-spaced, and please use 11-point font. Please tell us about
   • yourself (e.g., you; your family/growing up; pathway-guiding and/or formative experiences);
   • your previous research experience(s), how they turned out, and what you learned from each;
   • your motivation for pursuing an advanced degree(s) and what your ‘dream career’ might look like in about 15 years;
   • what you personally hope to gain to be more competitive for entry and success in graduate school.

Please contact [email protected] with any additional questions. 

Learn more 

2022 and 2023 PREP Scholars

PREP Alumni 2015-2021