UT Tyler School of Medicine Empowers Future Physicians Through Joint Admission Medical Program Summer II Internship

June 16, 2026 | Elizabeth Wingfield

The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine recently hosted 21 students as part of the Joint Admission Medical Program, or JAMP, a state-led initiative that supports highly qualified, economically disadvantaged students on their journey toward becoming physicians. The program provided participants with a rigorous, hands-on introduction to medical training.

“Learning under the undergraduate faculty and medical school staff gave me the confidence and curiosity to keep striving, a mindset directly inspired by their passion for education,” said Zaid Al-Omari, one of this year’s JAMP scholars. “Additionally, listening to the testimonies of the first-year medical students and watching them interact with their peers and professors made it clear that UT Tyler is a place of collaborative growth.”

To offer JAMP, the Texas Legislature partners with medical schools throughout the state, aiming to make a career in medicine more attainable for all students. The program offers participants vital resources, including scholarships, tutoring and immersive summer internships at Texas medical schools. Beyond providing hands-on clinical training, such as the use of simulated patients to refine interview skills, the UT Tyler JAMP experience emphasized that effective care begins with true empathy.

“Through my experiences in Tyler, I have learned that my future in medicine must involve genuinely getting to know my patients as people rather than just cases, allowing me to implement curated, holistic care tailored specifically to their needs,” said Al-Omari. “To any student who thinks they aren’t prepared: if it’s not you, then who? Don’t let doubt hold you back—apply, stay curious and shoot for the moon. As Norman Vincent Peale says, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

Click here for more information about the JAMP program at UT Tyler.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.