University of Tennessee Chattanooga offers Thompson Scholars Program for pre-health professional students

The University of Tennessee Chattanooga is offering its Thompson Scholars Program for pre-health professionals in the pre-medical and pre-dental programs. The Thompson Scholars Program, which was established in 2024 by alumna Polly Ann Martin Thompson and her husband Richard, provides a summer experience for pre-health students to brush up on their math and science skills before the fall semester begins. While participation in the program does not provide students with college credit, they will have the opportunity to be placed directly into a more advanced math class if they pass an exit exam.

According to an article on the University of Tennessee Chattanooga’s website, Theresa Blackman, who serves as the assistant director of Pre-Health Student Services, was quoted as saying of the program, “The Thompson Scholars Program is designed for students who demonstrate readiness for college-level math but need additional preparation to advance directly into calculus-level coursework and general chemistry. Eligible students must have an ACT math score between 19 and 22 and an intended pathway into professional health care programs. This program provides both math and chemistry instruction taught by UTC faculty and aims to demystify chemistry. A lot of students, especially those who’ve never had any interaction with chemistry, get so nervous that they walk into chemistry and have already set themselves up for failure. We help them understand what content will be covered and how to study at the college level. Obviously, one of the big selling points for the program is you get to skip a math class. They’re able to directly place into chemistry, which they love, and they’re in chemistry with people they developed connections with over two weeks in the summer. It really sets them up for success. We’re also planning to offer a first-year experience section that will be tailored toward pre-health students. They’ll be able to continue that community that they’ve been building over the summer.”

The program will accept 24 students this summer and will run from August 3 to August 21, 2026. Students can choose to live on campus during the Thompson Scholars program, or they may commute. Students will have two weeks of instruction from UTC faculty and three days of chemistry prep.

The Thompsons fund the program’s instructional costs, housing subsidies, and community-building activities. Participating students must pay a fee of $110 to cover their meals, housing, and materials. 

The program was designed to help students become more prepared for their pre-health coursework by giving them additional instruction that highlights the connections between math and chemistry.

For more information about the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, visit the school’s website.