The Health, Humanism, and Society Scholars program (HHASS) provides Rice undergraduates pursuing the Medical Humanities minor a two-semester opportunity to assist in research at various institutions within the Texas Medical Center, giving them valuable experience in a variety of medical and public health settings, research institutes, and centers. The program identifies faculty and researchers in the Texas Medical Center who are interested in mentoring undergraduates and are currently researching topics with medical humanities components or perspectives. Students apply in the spring semester for projects beginning the following academic year and are matched with projects. Students also meet regularly as a class taught by a Rice faculty member and complete course assignments. Students will earn 6 credits for the academic year (MDHM 402 & MDHM 403). This practicum counts toward the Medical Humanities minor.
Community partners interested in mentoring a student may submit a project that has a clear medical humanities component. The community partner submission form will be posted on this page in January of each year. A previous version of the form that may be lightly modified may be found here: https://rice.app.box.com/file/1789445497785
Students may find projects for the following academic year and application instructions on this page in February of each academic year.
Previous projects may be found below.
Eligibility
The Health Practicum is open to all Rice continuing undergraduate students who have declared the Medical Humanities minor, completed MDHM 201: Introduction to Medical Humanities, and taken at least nine credit hours in departments within the School of Humanities (including MDHM courses) or in classes that count as electives towards the minor.
To international students — although this is a course and not an internship, because work will take place off campus and inside the United States, it may endanger your student visa. Consult with OISS before registering.
Selection
Students may find the call for the following year’s projects posted on this page in February each academic year. Students then apply for each project that interests them, keeping in mind that many projects are very competitive. It is recommended that students apply for at least three projects. The 3+ projects may be in HHASS and/or in the MDHM430 practicum.
Once all application materials are confirmed, applicants may be contacted directly by the project directors for an interview. Project directors cannot determine your placement in their project.
In April, after all interviews have been completed, finalists will be contacted by Fatima Bazan Mota, Program Administrator, or Dr. Melissa Bailar, Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of the Medical Humanities Program, with their project placement. At that point, participants will be approved for enrollment into the associated fall course MDHM 402 (3 credits). The Rice faculty member teaching the course will need to enter a registration override for you to be able to enroll.
During the late spring semester or during the summer, students are expected to complete all required badging, clearance processes, and paperwork required by their partner organization. Onboarding must be completed one full week before the fall semester begins. Please contact Dr. Bailar (melba@rice.edu) if you encounter any difficulties.
See a listing of previous projects >
For all practicum questions, please contact:
Dr. Melissa Bailar | Associate Director and Senior Lecturer of Medical Humanities | Rice University | School of Humanities | melba@rice.edu
Fatima Bazan Mota | Undergraduate Program Administrator | Rice University | School of Humanities | fb55@rice.edu
Deadline: Monday, March 24, by 11:59 pm
Deadline to apply TBD
Once you have been matched with a project, MDHM faculty will be in touch to submit the registration override so that you may register for MDHM 402 or MDHM 430.
Students can use a single form to apply for multiple projects, including both one-semester practicum projects and year-long HHASS projects.
