NBME Innovations to Advance Pathways and Bridges to Medicine Grant - CHE Mentoring and Achievement Preparation Program
Date Published March 10, 2026
Project Date Launched in 2025
The M.A.P. Program expands pathways for underrepresented students into occupational and physical therapy careers.
| The ACHE Mentoring and Achievement Preparation (M.A.P.) Program is a mission-driven initiative designed to broaden access to health professions education for students from underserved and underrepresented communities. Launched to address disparities in access to health education and to increase representation in allied health professions, the M.A.P. Program focuses specifically on preparing and supporting students interested in careers in occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT). The program combines mentoring, academic preparation, and engagement strategies intended to educate, encourage, equip and engage prospective students who may not have previously seen OT and PT as attainable career paths. The program emphasizes building a more inclusive and compassionate health care workforce that better reflects the communities it serves. Program activities and supports are designed to reduce barriers to entry into these professions, fostering recruitment and retention of women and students from racially and socioeconomically underrepresented backgrounds. ACHE frames the M.A.P. initiative as a direct response to the urgent need for culturally responsive clinicians in rural and underserved areas, where patients often benefit from greater provider representation and cultural concordance. Recognition of the program’s intentional approach to diversity, equity and inclusion came in May 2025, when Insight Into Academia magazine named the M.A.P. Program among its 2025 Inspiring Programs in STEM. The award highlights institutional efforts that successfully encourage recruitment and retention in STEM-related fields through inclusive practices. Insight Into Academia’s acknowledgment places the M.A.P. Program alongside other exemplary programs nationwide and publicly affirms its model of mentorship and pipeline development. The program’s trajectory advanced further when ARCOM received a seed grant from the National Board of Medical Examiners in December 2024 to support expansion efforts, with planned program growth launching in August 2025. This external seed funding underscores the perceived effectiveness and scalability of the M.A.P. model and enables ACHE to broaden outreach, deepen mentorship capacity, and enhance preparatory resources for prospective OT and PT students. Stakeholders including ACHE leadership and admissions emphasize the program’s alignment with the institution’s mission to educate a diverse student body. The initiative is portrayed as both a practical workforce-development strategy and a moral imperative to reduce health disparities by diversifying the pool of health professionals. As the M.A.P. Program grows, ACHE intends to continue refining supports that help students see OT and PT careers as attainable, thereby increasing representation in health care fields where demand for culturally competent providers remains high. For further engagement, ACHE provides contact information and program resources to invite community partners, prospective students, and supporters to participate in the ongoing expansion and impact of the M.A.P. Program. |
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