Mentor Supported Shadowing Program: Student Application

Purpose

The RIT/NTID Deaf Health Care and Biomedical Science Hub (Deaf Hub) was established in 2022. The mission of the Deaf Hub is to increase the number of culturally- and language-concordant individuals in healthcare and biomedical science careers. This is done by supporting pathways to healthcare careers, creating networks for deaf scientists, and conducting research on alleviating healthcare systemic barriers for patients, trainees, and professionals. The Deaf Hub’s vision is that one day, every deaf and hard-of-hearing person will see themselves in their healthcare provider. Will you be one of these healthcare providers? The MSSP is for you.

The MSSP is a structured professional development curriculum that includes mentoring and shadowing experiences, supporting students throughout their academic journey, and preparing them for successful applications to professional training or employment in health care. 

NTID supported students who want to shadow D/HH healthcare professionals and participate in a mentoring program to maximize their preparation for a career in healthcare are encouraged to apply. 

Application Deadline: February 6, 2026

Interview Dates: February 27, 2026

Notification Date: February 27, 2026

Start Date: March 2, 2026

Expectations

  • Network with various professionals and mentors, represent RIT/NTID Deaf Hub
  • Participate in required MSSP activities including professional development workshops and meeting regularly with your mentoring and/or shadowing team(s)
  • Share your experience and what you gained from this program. Examples include:
    • Writing a one-page reflection
    • Sharing your thoughts and experience in an 1:1 interview
    • Joining a panel with your fellow students

Eligibility Criteria

  • NTID supported student
  • Current RIT/NTID student in any major with strong aspirations for continuing medical education after RIT
  • GPA of at least 3.0
Applicant Information
Year
You may add up to two preferred fields, with your top choice listed first.
Please check the box to verify:

Application requirements:

  1. Personal statement (one-page limit) answering these questions: 
    1. What is your experience with mentoring and shadowing?
    2. How will the MSSP help you achieve your academic and career goals?
    3. How will you use your experience and knowledge gained to benefit the D/HH community?
  2. Letter of support from a faculty or staff. 

Upload here or send to deafhub@rit.edu by February 6, 2026.

One file only.
40 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, bmp, eps, tif, pict, psd, txt, rtf, html, odf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, xml, avi, mov, mp3, ogg, wav, bz2, dmg, gz, jar, rar, sit, svg, tar, zip.

If you have any difficulty uploading your statement, please email the file to deafhub@rit.edu.

By signing this application, I attest that I am the student applicant that filled out this form.

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