Welcome to the Center for Pre-Health Advising!
The Center for Pre-Health Advising (CPHA) is a resource for UW-Madison students and alumni (no time limit!) who are exploring, preparing, and applying to health professional programs. We are here to support you — wherever you are on your path to serving others in health care. We have the most expertise in advising toward dental, medical, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant careers. We also advise toward careers in allied health professions, chiropractic medicine, optometry, podiatry, public health, and veterinary medicine. Please scroll down to learn more about what we do and for information on pathways to health professions (i.e., information about courses, applications, and careers).
CPHA is co-located with the Center for Pre-Law Advising (CPLA) in suite 205 Middleton Building on Campus.
Questions? Contact us at questions@prehealth.wisc.edu.
- Newsletter
- Pre-Health 101
- First-Year Advising
- Making Appointments
- Applicant Advising
- Drop-In Advising
“Pre-Health 101” is a great place to begin learning about all things pre-health. It is the most common way that CPHA “meets” with first year students. This online orientation (available to you as a Canvas course) introduces you to exploring healthcare careers, pre-health coursework, building experience outside the classroom, and possible timelines to health professional school exams and applications.
We designed the pre-health orientation with first year students in mind, but we encourage anyone with interest in a health profession to enroll at any point in your preparation. It is a great resource for everyone. Look for it in your Canvas course library after you sign up for Pre-Health 101.
We are committed to first year students! And Mike Hill is our first year student specialist. He writes and runs the online pre-health student orientation (“Pre-Health 101”), offers drop-in advising for first year students every Friday during fall and spring semesters, gives a wide range of classroom presentations, and runs First Year Planning Sessions.
Please use all the resources we offer first year students:
Pre-Health 101. This online orientation is a great introduction to all things pre-health.
First Year Fridays are drop-in hours reserved specifically for first year students. They take place every Friday of fall and spring semester from 9 am to 12 pm.
First Year Fridays Sign up Form
First Year Planning Sessions are offered fall and spring semesters as well. This is a time for you to begin planning your pre-health coursework and co-curricular experiences with the direct support of Mike and other pre-health advisors.
Learn more about First Year Planning Sessions
Quick question? Please email us at questions@prehealth.wisc.edu!
First year student? Please see the First Year Advising tab for advising options.
Second year year students and up, including new transfer students: Please make an appointment to talk with us about your pre-health interests and plans using Starfish. Please monitor your email as you wait for your appointment to begin.
- Appointments (in-person and virtual) are released every Wednesday via Starfish.
- Need a MOCK INTERVIEW and can’t find an opening in Starfish? Email us at questions@prehealth.wisc.edu!
Note: every year during the month of May, appointments and drop-ins are reserved for those actively applying to health professional programs in the current cycle.
Not a current applicant, but have pre-health questions during the month of May? We’re still here for you. The questions@prehealth.wisc.edu inbox is monitored by our advisors daily. Our website also has an abundance of information to help you wherever you’re at in your pre-health journey.
Applying to health professional programs this cycle? Please also see our Applicant Advising information.
If you are an alum, please email us at questions@prehealth.wisc.edu, and we will help you arrange an appointment. We look forward to meeting with you remotely (by phone, Zoom, MS Teams, etc.) or in-person. Please also continue to remember that there is no time limit in our services to you. We will be here to support you for as long as you want to work with us.
If you want to talk with us about your application to health professional programs, please read all the information below.
First, if you are planning to apply to a health professional program in the coming year, please sign up for a CPHA Application Course. These are Canvas courses that serve as resource libraries. Each one introduces you to the ins-and-outs of applying to programs.
Common Applicant Advising Conversations:
- We will help you plan the timing of your application and reflect on what experiences you need to build before you apply.
- Application Statements
- We will meet with applicants two times to talk about your personal statement, two times to talk about work/activity statements, and two times to talk about secondaries. Please do not schedule more than two appointments with us about any one of these kinds of statements. We need to distribute our time to advisees as equally as we can. See below for opportunities to work with other writing specialists on your application statements.
- Please send us the statement(s) you want to work on at least 24 hours before your appointment.
- If you want to talk about work/activity/experience statements or school-specific secondaries/supplemental essays, please choose three to five that you want to work on and send us only those essays at least 24 hours before your appointment.
- Mock Interviews
- We offer applicants two mock interviews — one for you to practice the traditional interview format and a second for you to practice the multi-mini interview format.
- Please only make mock interview appointments after you have been invited to interview at a health professional program. When you make a mock interview appointment, please specify in your appointment note the school(s) for which you want to practice.
- Need a mock interview and can’t find an opening in Starfish? Email us at questions@prehealth.wisc.edu!
Other application statement writing specialists: the UW-Madison Writing Center
- In lieu of an in-person workshop, the Writing Center has made their Personal Statements for Graduate Health Professions Programs workshop (with attendant materials) available online.
- The Writing Center also offers peer feedback groups for current students and alumni. Please sign up here.
- In addition, the Writing Center offers 45-minute appointments for current UW-Madison students for you to work on your personal statement with them. This may be done via email or video chat. Please learn more and sign up here.
- The Writing Center also offers a list of proofreaders and editors who are all graduate students or recent PhDs. They charge very low rates for their service. Check them out.
- And for alumni, Madison Writing Assistance offers individual remote appointments for you to work on your personal statement with a writing specialist.
CPHA is committed to making drop-ins as accessible as possible for all UW-Madison undergraduates and alumni. We look forward to seeing you in-person or virtually!
The drop-ins sign-up form will open 10-15 minutes before the drop-in session begins, and it will close when drop-in slots are filled. To attend drop-ins in person or virtually, sign in using the sign-up form and follow the instructions on the form. Please read the instructions carefully and keep an eye on your email. Thank you!
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Fall 2023 Drop-in Hours
2nd Year+ (including transfer students and alumni) Drop-in Advising
- Tuesdays 1:00 to 3:30 pm
- Wednesdays 1:00 to 3:30 pm
First Year Drop-in Advising (First Year Fridays)
- Fridays 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
NOTE: There will be no drop-in advising on Friday, December 22nd.
Health is more than the absence of disease.
Dr. Joycelyn Elders
Health is about jobs and unemployment, education, the environment,
and all of those things that go into making us healthy.
Wellness
Taking care of yourself is step number one. Know where to find support on campus.
Campus Climate
The Center for Pre-Health Advising is committed to Creating Inclusion and Overcoming Bias.
Report and Learn
Hate and bias and physical and sexual violence are public health issues. Know how to report.
Pathways to Health Professions
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Allied Health
Most allied health professionals work collaboratively with physicians, physician assistants, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and others to provide quality care for patients. Some allied health professionals work independently. According to the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions: Allied health encompasses a broad group of health professionals who use scientific principles and evidence-based practice for the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of acute and chronic diseases; promote disease prevention and wellness for optimum health, and apply administration and management skills to support health care systems in a variety of settings. Learn More.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is based on the principle that spinal joint misaligments interfere with the nervous system and can result in different conditions of diminished health. Chiropractors provide natural, drugless, nonsurgical health treatments, relying on the body’s inherent recuperative abilities.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
Dentistry
Dentistry is devoted to maintaining the health of the teeth, gums, and other hard and soft tissues of the mouth and adjacent structures.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
Medicine
Physicians may be allopathic (MD) or osteopathic (DO) practitioners. There are many career paths within both. Most physicians work full-time. Many also teach, engage in research, work in administration, and contribute to health care policy.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
Nursing
Nurses provide direct patient care and need to be both detail-oriented and strong team players. Nurses can also specialize in a specific area of patient care (surgery, trauma, etc.) and be accredited in specialties such as ambulatory care, pediatrics, and many others.
Coursework
Accelerated Degree Options
Application Process
Career Resources
Note: The information on these pages is for students seeking admissions to accelerated nursing programs. If you would like to complete a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) here at UW-Madison, please reach out to the School of Nursing directly. They have an amazing team of advisors who will support you on your journey to becoming a nurse!
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists help people of all ages do everyday activities (occupations) in all the settings they inhabit (home, work, school, community).
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
Common occupational therapy interventions include: helping children who are differently-abled to develop social skills and participate in school, helping people recovering from injury regain function through retraining and/or adaptations, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Learn more from AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association)!
Optometry
Doctors of optometry (ODs/optometrists) are primary care specialists in eye care. Optometrists examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures. They also identify related systemic conditions affecting the eye.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
Pharmacy
Pharmacists work in a range of settings: community pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, the pharmaceutical industry, mail service, managed care, and government. They also frequently counsel patients in planning therapy regiments.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
The information on these pages is for people who plan to apply to PharmD schools after graduating from UW-Madison. Some pharmacy programs do not require applicants to complete a bachelor’s degree, including the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy. However, they all require different prerequisite courses that applicants must complete at a college or university. For information on admissions at the UW School of Pharmacy, please visit their website.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists diagnose and treat people of all ages who experience limited ability to move and perform daily function due to illness and/or injury.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
PTs develop treatment plans to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. PTs also help prevent the loss of mobility through fitness- and wellness-oriented programs. They provide care in a range of settings: hospitals, private clinics, out-patient clinics, home health agencies, schools, sports and fitness facilities, work settings, and older adult care facilities.
Physician Assistant
Physician Assistants examine, diagnose, and treat patients under the supervision of a physician. They have considerable autonomy and may specialize in a specific field of medicine.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
Podiatry
Podiatrists are doctors of podiatric medicine (DPMs). They diagnose and treat conditions of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. Podiatrists can specialize in many fields, including surgery, sports medicine, wound care, pediatrics, and diabetic care.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
Public Health
Public health focuses on preventative care for populations rather than curative care for individuals. There are five core areas of public health: Behavioral and Social Science, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management. In addition to these core areas, many public health professionals concentrate on specific areas, such as Community Health, Maternal and Child Health, Health Communication and Promotion, Health Disparities, Health of Minoritized Populations, and Global Health.
Veterinary Medicine
Veterinarians provide medical care for large and small animals, including farm animals, domestic animals, exotic animals, and working animals (e.g., those in the equine industry). They often take a holistic approach to animal welfare and human wellbeing and provide care for companion animals through private medical practices.
Coursework
Get Involved
Application Process
Career Resources
COVID, Public Health, & Pre-Professional Advising
Guidelines and campus policies continue to evolve. Make sure to stay updated on UW policies here. Masks are always welcome in our space.
Advisors will continue to offer virtual and in-person appointments. You’re welcome to choose the option that works best for you!

CPHA is one of two Pre-Professional Advising offices at UW-Madison. The Center for Pre-Law Advising (CPLA) is the other. We share a director (Molly Reinhard), office space in suite 205 Middleton Building on campus, pre-professional expertise, and missions of helping to increase access, equity, and diversity in health and law.
