PHSRC Pulse

PHSRC at NAAHP 2026

This past June 2026, Zoe Marquis-Kelly, Dana Hegre Lovold, and Kelsey Pedersen travelled to New Orleans, Louisiana for the National Association of the Advisors for Health Professions (NAAHP) Conference. Over three and a half sweltering summer days, they attended conference presentations from other health profession advisers, swapped student support strategies with colleagues, and even managed to fit in a beignet or two! 

Zoe and Dana also presented at the conference, speaking about their study of first-year health professional students’ gap year experiences and the advising strategies that they have developed based on the results of their research. Key takeaways include:

  • Many health professional students take at least one gap year between their undergraduate career and their health professional program. For example, about 73% of the 2025 incoming class of M.D. students had taken at least one gap year. 
  • Gap years don’t hurt health professional school applications, but it’s important to plan out what you are doing beforehand! Admissions committees want to see that your gap year experiences have contributed to your understanding of the profession and that you have further developed the skills and competencies needed to be a successful health professional student. 
  • Most students don’t regret going straight to professional school or taking a gap year(s), which indicates to us that the decision to take a gap year or not is highly personal. Everyone is on their own journey to a health profession.
  • It’s important to be proactive! Even if you are a first year, start thinking about whether you want to go straight to health professional school after undergraduate school or take some time off from school to gain more experiences. Talk to other pre-health students,  current health professional students, and your advisers to get information on their gap year plans and insights. The further ahead you can plan, the more resources you can gather and the more prepared you will feel when the time comes to take a gap year or not! 
Zoe, Kelsey and Dana standing next to the NAAHP 2026 conference banner

Thanks, New Orleans, for an amazing experience of learning, connecting, and sharing ideas! Our advisers are excited to incorporate their new advising insights as they support U of M pre-health students on their journeys towards healthcare careers. 

Until next time!