Medicine X | September 2017 Student Presenter Track

What is the Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship program?

The Medicine X Student Scholarship program will provide up to 10 spots for students to attend Medicine X at Stanford on September 15-17, 2017. Full and partial merit-based scholarships are allocated to maximize impact, with consideration given to financial need.

Who should apply for the Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship program?

Students who are enrolled full-time at an accredited degree-granting academic institution and are interested in health care are eligible to apply for this program. Medicine X Student Leaders are undergraduates and graduate students from a wide range of disciplines and majors. They have a history of student community engagement, outreach and advocacy, and actively use emerging technologies and/or social media. If accepted, the award will be valid if the applicant graduates from their educational program before the conference.

How can Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship recipients participate in the conference?
Applicants may apply to one or more tracks and will be placed into the track that best fits their talents and goals, with applicants’ preference taken into consideration. The Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship slots are allocated for attendees (Everyone Included™ Track), speakers (Presenter Track), and creative problem solvers. Conference participation is limited to one track per scholarship recipient, and one applicant can receive no more than one scholarship per year.

I have already received a Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship in the past. Am I allowed to apply again?
Alumni of the Stanford Medicine X Student Leadership Program are eligible to apply for and receive scholarships in subsequent years. To encourage growth, they will be placed into a new track in which they did not previously participate.

What are the expectations and responsibilities of Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship recipients?
Selection as a Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship recipient confers certain expectations and responsibilities upon recipients. Complete conference attendance is expected through closing remarks Sunday, September 17th along with on-time arrival to conference events. Participants are expected to participate in the ePatient and student collaborative challenges. Scholarship recipients are tasked with using the knowledge and skills gained at Medicine X to advance their individual advocacy efforts. Scholarship recipients will receive a certificate of recognition for their attendance.

I’m a patient/student and I haven’t been to an academic conference before. Is Medicine X really an academic conference designed for everyone?
Absolutely. The atmosphere at Medicine X is unlike that of a traditional academic medical conference. Attendees from around the world and across the health care spectrum embrace patients as a nexus of innovation and inspiration to drive their work in patient care, technology development, education, and research. Medicine X represents an opportunity to share the stories and lessons learned as patients, people, and partners in care.

Many of our past Student Leadership scholarship recipients shared their experience through the presenter and Everyone Included™ tracks and published their experiences through blogs. Below is an assorted collection of these postings and quotes from them about their experiences in the program.

“Just do it.” As a medical student, I have found my interactions with [my patient partner] have been invaluable. This level of communication and open discussion with patients over a sustained period of time is a missing element of medical education in so many programs. Until this program, I felt the need for an immersive communication like this, but just thought I had to wait until the clinical years. Now I know it is possible to do so earlier in one’s medical education.”–Galym Imanbayev, Medicine X | ED 2017  Partnership Track medical student

“My biggest insight has probably been how the role of perceived power and knowledge is at play even within medical education, not just between patients and providers. There is a lot of discussion about the health care hierarchy when it comes to patients, providers, researchers, and payers, but we have forgotten about students. Can students effectively learn if they’re afraid to bring up relevant research that contradicts their professor or attending’s treatment plan?” – Charlie Blotner, Medicine X | ED 2017 Partnership Track patient

“Traditionally, medical education meetings are where deans, program directors, and educators meet to prescribe a top-down vision of what’s best for medical learners. Medicine X|Ed—and naturally, Medicine X is anything but traditional—takes the opposite approach. It begins with the end users, learners and patients.” – Amol Utrankar, Inaugural Medicine X | ED 2015 Presenter Track

• You can review these blog posts by ePatients and Students about Stanford Medicine X 2015.

How much is registration if I am selected to receive a partial scholarship?
A partial scholarship reduces the registration rate for the three day conference to $199.00. Full scholarship recipients are not required to pay a registration fee.

Why would you charge patients and students to attend Medicine X?
Medicine X is an academic non-profit conference—not a medical industry event or trade show. Operating funds are derived exclusively from registration fees, donations, and grant income. Partial scholarship recipients receive all the knowledge, opportunities, and interaction afforded to full scholarship recipients; however, the awarding of partial scholarships allows Medicine X to extend financial assistance to the greatest number of patients and students possible.

Will I get paid a salary or honorarium to attend Medicine X?
No. Because Medicine X is an academic conference, most speakers pay registration fees to attend and present their work at our conference.

How much in out-of-pocket expenses should I budget to attend Medicine X?
Plan to cover transportation (airfare, rental car, gas, etc.) and at least four nights’ accommodations. Stanford Medicine X Student Scholarship recipients are expected to attend the conference in full with on-time arrival and staying through conference close on Sunday, September 17, 2017. Reduced hotel rates are available and rooming with another scholarship recipient is recommended to reduce costs. Breakfast and lunch are provided at the conference venue, with reasonable accommodations made for dietary needs. Conference hotels are within walking distance of several restaurants and a grocery store. Additional consideration should be given to any lost wages from time taken off from work.

Are travel funds provided?
Scholarship recipients with financial need may be eligible for limited travel scholarship funds to facilitate their attendance at Medicine X. Applicants complete both an application to a needs-blind, merit-based selection system as well as a separate financial assistance application. Applicants are tasked with determining and demonstrating their own financial need as evidenced by employment status, income, and other personal hardships. Financial need statements will be considered both for the awarding of full and partial scholarships and the awarding of travel scholarships. Financial need does not affect an applicant’s merit-based application.

How can I apply for a Stanford Medicine X Scholarship?
Scholarship applications for the Student and ePatient Everyone Included™ Track and Student Leadership Presenter Track will be open early April 2017. Awards will be announced in Early Summer 2017. Please sign up for the Medicine X email list to be notified when scholarship applications become available online.

I’m a resident/researcher: Can I apply for the Stanford Medicine X ePatient or Student Scholarship?
Unfortunately you may not apply for a scholarship. Only ePatients and full-time students enrolled at an accredited degree-granting academic institution, working towards a degree may apply for this program. Medicine X provides discounted registration rates for academic researchers and students.

How are Stanford Medicine X ePatient and Student scholarship recipients selected?
Successful applicants demonstrate a history of patient engagement, community outreach and advocacy. Preference is given to individuals using emerging technologies and social media such as blogs, podcasts, Twitter, Facebook. In the application process, applicants complete both an application to a needs-blind, merit-based selection system as well as a separate financial assistance application. The Medicine X ePatient and Student Advisory Panels will review applications, narrows the field of applicants by merit, ranks applicants, and conducts short live video based interviews of finalists. Only after this initial ranking process are financial need statements considered. The most highly-ranked applicants receive priority consideration for financial assistance. All final decisions are made by the conference director.

Selection Process and Waitlisting
Applicants will submit their completed applications no later than the deadlines stated below with no exceptions or extensions granted. Applications will then be reviewed by members of the respective Advisory Panel, and ranked according to the above selection criteria. Applicants will then be placed in tracks according to both their preference and the track the Panel feels most suits the applicant.

Those not accepted to the final scholarship positions will be waitlisted for Medicine X 2018. Waitlisted applicants may be offered a Program position at any time prior to the conference in the event that another Delegate is unable to attend, however, if a waitlisted Delegate is accepted into the Program late in the process, he or she may have limited access to travel and accommodations awards.

Is financial need considered during the Stanford Medicine X ePatient and Student Scholarship selection process?
Yes and no. Applications are first evaluated on merit alone. Once the list is reduced to the top qualifying applicants, and rankings are finalized, we will then consider financial need. Our aim is to provide sufficient support for the most highly-ranked ePatients and students to attend the conference under partial or full scholarships, but financial need will not influence the qualifications of an scholarship applicant.