Preparing for the University of Maryland School of Medicine interview

Preparing for an interview at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) means more than reviewing your AMCAS and memorizing your personal statement. To truly impress, you must embody both clinical ambition and a deep understanding of Maryland’s distinctive health policy landscape, Baltimore’s community challenges, and national movements impacting local care. 

This guide will equip you with expert, regionally focused insights—ensuring your answers stand out for depth, authenticity, and vision.

1. The Maryland Med Interview: Format, Structure, and Core Themes

UMSOM employs a traditional open-file interview format (interviewers have access to your application), typically involving:

• Two interviews: Often a 1:1 with a faculty or physician and a second with another faculty or a senior med student; infrequently, interviews are conducted in panels.

• Each interview lasts between 30–60 minutes.

• Can be in-person or virtual (as of the 2023–2024 cycle; double-check your invite for updates).

• You may have a brief “get-to-know-you” chat with current students as part of a larger group, which, while less formal, may still influence perceptions.

Themes:

UMSOM’s mission focuses on urban community service, social determinants of health, biomedical research, and a powerful commitment to health equity and primary care. Maryland’s signature innovation: a one-of-a-kind all-payer hospital rate regulation system (more on that soon).

2. Maryland’s Healthcare Policy: The All-Payer Laboratory

1. The All-Payer Model (APM): A National Experiment

Since 2014, Maryland has capped hospital costs under a unique global budget system—the only state where Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers pay identical rates. Results:

• 8% reduction in avoidable ER visits (2023)

• $1.2B saved in Medicare costs since 2019
  But rural hospitals like Atlantic General (Worcester County) still struggle with staffing—a gap UMSOM’s Rural Health Program addresses via telemedicine hubs.

2. Health Equity Resource Act (2023)

This $60M/year initiative targets ZIP codes with 20+ year life expectancy gaps. Funds flow to programs like Baltimore’s BRIDGE Coalition, where UMSOM students screen for hypertension in Black barbershops.

3. Opioid Settlement Reinvestment

Maryland directs 80% of its $395M opioid settlement to harm reduction. UMSOM’s Center for Addiction Research pilots buprenorphine vending machines in Dundalk—a blue-collar suburb with 142 overdose deaths in 2023.

Tip: Cite UMSOM’s Health Policy and Management Department when discussing systemic reforms.

3. Current Events & Social Issues: The Maryland Lens

Local Flashpoints

• Maternal Mortality: Black women in Baltimore die postpartum at 3.1x the rate of white women. UMSOM’s B’more for Healthy Babies trains doulas in majority-Black neighborhoods like Cherry Hill.

• Climate Health: Chesapeake Bay’s “dead zones” (hypoxic areas) correlate with asthma spikes in Curtis Bay. UMSOM’s Environmental Health Collaborative maps pollution’s impact.

• Violence as a Public Health Crisis: Baltimore’s 2023 homicide rate (56/100k) drives UMSOM’s Hospital Violence Intervention Program—med students mentor gunshot survivors at Shock Trauma.

National Issues with Maryland Stakes

• Abortion Access: Maryland’s 2023 constitutional amendment protects abortion, but 40% of patients now come from restricted states like West Virginia. UMSOM OB/GYNs lead research on delayed care in rural travelers.

• Immigrant Health: 15% of Marylanders are immigrants. UMSOM’s CASA Clinic offers undocumented patients in Langley Park free diabetes care—critical in a county where 22% lack insurance.

Tip: Reference UMSOM’s Community Engagement Center to demonstrate alignment with their “anchor institution” ethos.

4. The 5 Questions University of Maryland School of Medicine is most likely to ask during your medical school interview

1. “Why UMSOM over other schools with global health programs?”

2. “Baltimore’s life expectancy varies by 20 years between neighborhoods. Propose an intervention.”

3. “How would you handle a patient who distrusts vaccines due to historical racism in medicine?”

4. “Describe a time you worked with a community outside your own experience.”

5. “Maryland leads in health equity research. Which UMSOM initiative would you join and why?”