REACH Program

Developing the next generation of Physician Innovators through REACH: Reimagining and Engingeering Advances in Clinical Health 

Are you preparing for medical school and interested in how research, engineering, technology, design, and innovation can transform healthcare? The Carle Illinois College of Medicine REACH Program is an immersive summer pathway experience for undergraduate students interested in becoming physicians and exploring medicine through the lens of innovation.

REACH prepares future Physician Innovators through an integrated experience that combines health innovation, research and scholarly inquiry, faculty mentorship, clinical exposure, professional development, and medical school preparation. Scholars don't just learn about healthcare challenges—they develop the skills to investigate them, understand the people affected by them, and imagine innovative approaches to solving them. You do not need to be an engineering major or have previous research or innovation experience to apply. REACH is designed for students from a wide range of academic backgrounds who are curious, creative, collaborative, and excited about the future of medicine.

The REACH Experience

As a REACH Scholar, you will have opportunities to: 

• Explore Health Innovation – Learn how design thinking, research, engineering, technology, creativity, and human-centered approaches can be used to address real healthcare challenges. 
• Develop a Health Innovation Capstone – Identify a meaningful healthcare problem, investigate it through research and user-centered inquiry, and develop an evidence-informed innovative solution. 
• Work with Faculty Research & Innovation Mentors – Learn alongside faculty, physicians, researchers, and other experts who provide guidance, subject-matter expertise, and professional mentorship. 
• Build Research & Scholarly Skills – Develop experience with literature review, evidence synthesis, critical thinking, research methods, scientific writing, and scholarly communication. 
• Experience Clinical Medicine – Participate in clinical skills, simulation, problem-based learning, physician and health professional shadowing, and other experiences that connect innovation with patient care. 
• Prepare for Medical School – Receive guidance on the medical school application process, personal statements, interviewing, MCAT planning, admissions expectations, and preparing for engineering- and innovation-focused medical education. 
• Develop as a Future Professional – Strengthen skills in communication, leadership, teamwork, networking, public speaking, scientific presentation, and professional identity. 
• Experience CI MED – Engage with CI MED faculty and medical students and explore the curriculum, facilities, clinical experiences, and innovation resources that support CI MED's engineering-infused approach to medical education. 

From healthcare problem to health innovation

At the center of REACH is the Health Innovation Capstone—a summer-long opportunity to take a deeper look at a healthcare challenge that matters to each participant. Capstones can explore a challenge related to medical devices, digital health, artificial intelligence and data science, diagnostics, clinical care, assistive technology, mental health, community health, healthcare delivery, patient education, health equity, or another area that connects with your interests.

Rather than starting with a solution, you will learn how Physician Innovators first seek to understand the problem. With mentorship and a structured Health Innovation Curriculum, you will move through a process of:

Identify the Problem → Research → Understand Users → Define the Need → Ideate → Innovate → Evaluate → Communicate 

Research remains a critical part of REACH. Participants will learn how to use scientific evidence, scholarly inquiry, and the experiences of patients, clinicians, communities, and other stakeholders to inform the solutions you develop. The goal isn't necessarily to create a market-ready product in one summer. It's to learn how to think and work like an innovator in medicine. 

REACH Program Benefits

As a REACH Scholar, you will:

• Join a cohort of aspiring physicians and healthcare professionals and build relationships with students who share your interests and goals. 
• Gain meaningful clinical exposure and hands-on experiences that deepen your understanding of medicine and patient care. 
• Work closely with CI MED faculty, physicians, researchers, medical students, graduate students, and other professionals. 
• Develop valuable research, critical-thinking, scientific writing, and scholarly inquiry skills. 
• Learn how to apply design thinking, health innovation, and human-centered problem-solving to healthcare challenges. 
• Explore emerging areas at the intersection of medicine, engineering, technology, research, and innovation. 
• Receive structured medical school admissions preparation and guidance as you prepare for the next stage of your journey. 
• Participate in professional development workshops that strengthen communication, leadership, teamwork, networking, presentation, and career-readiness skills. 
• Experience Carle Illinois College of Medicine and learn what it means to train in an engineering-infused medical school. 
• Build your professional network and connect with mentors and peers across medicine, research, healthcare, and innovation. 
• Complete a substantive Health Innovation Capstone that demonstrates your ability to investigate a healthcare problem, think creatively, and develop an evidence-informed solution. 
• Develop both scholarly and innovation communication skills by presenting your work through a poster and an innovation pitch. 
• Receive a $5,000 summer stipend for participation in the REACH Program. 

Share your innovation

At the end of the summer, you'll have the opportunity to showcase what you've accomplished through two complementary presentations:

Health Innovation Poster Presentation 
Present the scholarly foundation of your project, including the healthcare challenge, background research, user and stakeholder insights, existing approaches, your proposed innovation, and its potential impact. 

Innovation Pitch Presentation 
Bring your idea to life through a concise, compelling pitch that explains the problem, why it matters, your proposed solution, supporting evidence, potential impact, and what could come next. 

Together, these experiences will help you learn to communicate as both a scholar and an innovator—skills that will serve you in medical school and throughout your future career. 

Who should apply?

REACH is designed for undergraduate students who intend to pursue medical school and want an immersive experience that goes beyond traditional premedical preparation. We encourage you to apply if you: 

• Are interested in becoming a physician; 
• Are curious about medicine, healthcare, science, research, engineering, technology, design, or innovation; 
• Enjoy asking questions and thinking creatively about problems; 
• Want meaningful clinical exposure and faculty mentorship; 
• Want to strengthen your preparation for medical school; 
• Are interested in exploring what it means to become a Physician Innovator; and 
• Are excited to learn alongside other motivated undergraduate students. 

Students from a wide range of majors are encouraged to apply. You do not need to be an engineering major, and previous research or innovation experience is not required. What matters most is your curiosity, commitment to medicine, willingness to learn, and potential to contribute to a collaborative community of future Physician Innovators. 

Take the next step toward medicine. The REACH program is more than a summer research experience. It's an opportunity to experience medicine, develop as a future physician, build meaningful relationships with mentors and peers, and discover how your ideas could contribute to the future of healthcare. Come prepared to ask questions, challenge yourself, explore medicine in new ways, and begin thinking not only about becoming a physician—but about the kind of physician you want to become. 

Questions?

Contact us at reach@medicine.illinois.edu

In alignment with our mission to foster a supportive environment for all members of our university community, this programming is open to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, or national origin.