Students aspiring to medical school now have another post-baccalaureate option available to them with the new Health Science Intensive (HSI) concentration in the MS in Biotechnology Program. The program is part of the Krieger School’s Advanced Academic Programs.

Unlike the Homewood-based Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program, which includes core science courses required by medical schools, HSI is designed for students who have fulfilled all their pre-med requirements but are not quite ready to apply to medical school. HSI combines advanced scientific course work with mentoring and classes in real-world skills. The goal: to help students prepare their most competitive applications to medical school. An MCAT preparation course is included in the yearlong program, and students also earn an MS in biotechnology.

“As a nation, we don’t really deliberately teach things like teamwork, empathy, cultural competencies, or communication,” says program director Alexandra Tan. HSI classes such as Communication for Health Care Professionals, says Tan, will give students “the opportunity to build skills that… help them be good physicians and members of the community.”