Preparing for the University of Michigan Medical School interview

To dominate your University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) interview, you’ll need more than textbook answers—you’ll need a granular grasp of Michigan’s healthcare triumphs and tribulations, its policy innovations, and the social currents shaping care in the Great Lakes State. 

This guide delivers the hyper-local insights to prove you’re ready to tackle UMMS’s mission: Advancing health to serve Michigan and the world.

1. The UMMS Interview: Structure, Themes, and Hidden Agendas

Michigan employs a blended format combining traditional interviews with ethical scenario assessments. 

Key details:

• Format:

  • Traditional Interviews: 30-45 minutes with faculty or alumni. Expect warmth with sudden depth probes (e.g., “How would you improve access to prenatal care in the Upper Peninsula?”).

  • Ethical Scenarios: Situational judgment tests (SJTs) or MMIs. Recent prompts include triaging ventilator access during a hypothetical UP COVID surge.

• Themes:

  • Health Equity: Rooted in UMMS’s Michigan Medicine system, which serves 2.4 million patients annually, including 40% Medicaid/Medicare enrollees.

  • Innovation: Home to the Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI), the nation’s largest health policy research hub.

  • Community-Engaged Research: Think Flint Pediatric Public Health Initiative or Detroit-based cancer disparity studies.

Insider Tip: UMMS seeks “systems thinkers.” When discussing patient care, link individual cases to broader policy solutions—e.g., connecting diabetes management to Michigan’s SNAP incentive programs.

2. Michigan’s Healthcare Policy: Where Rust Belt Grit Meets Policy Ingenuity

1. Healthy Michigan Plan (Medicaid Expansion)

• What’s Unique: Expanded in 2014 under Gov. Snyder, it covers 1.1 million residents with incentives for healthy behaviors (e.g., $50 rewards for completing wellness visits).

• Current Flashpoint: Rural opt-outs—23 counties lack Medicaid-enrolled OB-GYNs. UMMS’s Rural Health Program deploys mobile clinics to towns like Alpena, where 34% of births are Medicaid-funded.

2. Opioid Settlement Reinvestment

• Michigan is allocating $800M from opioid lawsuits. 15% funds tribal nations, including the Bay Mills Indian Community’s MAT program. UMMS researchers lead a Psychedelic Neurotherapy Trial for addiction at Ann Arbor’s VA Hospital.

3. Public Health Emergency Legacy

• Post-Flint water crisis, Michigan now has the nation’s strictest lead rules (5 ppb action level). UMMS’s Flint Registry has enrolled 21,000 residents, linking lead exposure to tailored nutrition programs.

4. Certificate of Need (CON) Battles

• Michigan’s 1978 CON law (limiting hospital expansions) faces repeal efforts. Debate impacts projects like Detroit’s $160M DMC cancer center—cite UMMS’s Economic Impact Report showing CON laws save $373M annually.

Tip: Name-drop IHPI Director Dr. John Ayanian when discussing policy—it signals insider awareness.

3. Current Events & Social Issues: The Michigan Lens

Local Flashpoints

• Maternal Mortality: Black women in Detroit die at 3.3x the rate of white women. UMMS’s Birth Equity Taskforce trains doulas in majority-Black neighborhoods like Brightmoor.

• Mental Health Crisis: 1.2 million Michiganders live in mental health professional shortage areas. UMMS’s MC3 Program connects rural PCPs to psychiatrists via telehealth—critical in the UP, where 88% of counties lack a child psychiatrist.

• PFAS Contamination: 11,000+ sites have “forever chemicals.” UMMS partners with Oscoda Township (near former Wurtsmith AFB) on cancer cluster tracking.

National Issues with MI Stakes

• Abortion Access: Michigan’s 2023 Reproductive Health Act protects providers serving out-of-state patients. Discuss UMMS’s Family Planning Hotline for marginalized communities.

• Immigrant Health: 7% of Michiganders are immigrants. UMMS’s Ethnic Health Clinic in Dearborn (40% Arab American) screens 1,500+ refugees annually for war trauma.

Tip: Reference Michigan Medicine’s Community Health Services—their $562M annual investment impresses interviewers.

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

1. “Why Michigan Medicine? How does our Integrated Clinical & Research Phase align with your goals?”

2. “You’re the sole physician in Sault Ste. Marie. A patient requests opioids for chronic back pain. Next steps?”

3. “Michigan ranks 37th in mental health access. Design a UMMS-led intervention for Detroit schools.”

4. “Describe a time you advocated for a marginalized patient. What systemic barriers existed?”

5. “How should academic hospitals address AI bias in diagnostic algorithms?”