Goldsmith Scholarship - Scholarship FAQs

Kaiser Permanente is a non-profit, prepaid, group practice health maintenance organization (HMO), founded in 1945. The Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region has more than 3.1 million members. It includes 3,600 physicians in the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) and 47,300 Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals and medical group employees. The Region is served by 11 major medical centers.

Named in honor of Dr. Oliver Goldsmith, recently retired Medical Director of SCPMG, the scholarship recognizes his enduring commitment to advancing culturally responsive care and fostering systemic improvements in health care. His inclusive leadership helped identify and address health disparities, contributing to more equitable health outcomes across Kaiser Permanente. The scholarship reflects his vision of inclusion in health care—ensuring care is respectful, relevant, and accessible to people from all backgrounds and communities.

There are ten scholarships, each worth $5,000. Scholarship awards will be processed through the school’s Financial Aid office.

Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. medical/osteopathic school and:

• Be a third- or fourth-year medical student in good academic standing
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing care that is patient centric and linguistically responsive, or to fostering inclusion through:
  • Leadership roles
  • Research initiatives
  • Community involvement
  • Demonstrate efforts to reduce health disparities and promote health equity
  • Embrace inclusion in healthcare settings and patient care
  • Plan to practice medicine in Southern California
  • Be available for a clinical rotation at a Kaiser Permanente Southern California facility starting Fall 2026

If you are selected as a final candidate, you will be invited to interview. Interview dates to be determined.

Yes. The clerkship/elective must be completed in a Southern California, Kaiser Permanente medical facility.  If you are awarded the scholarship we can assist with arranging the rotation at one of our facilities.

We strongly encourage applicants from all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply. The Oliver Goldsmith, MD, Scholarship is rooted in the principles of health equity, inclusion, and the reduction of health disparities. We value diverse perspectives and experiences that enrich patient centric and linguistically responsive care across our communities.

Each medical/osteopathic school establishes its own criteria for good academic standing.  Applicant must submit a letter from their school stating that they are in good standing and not on any type of academic probation.

Yes, we are asking that all applicants plan to continue their medical career in Southern California, during their residency and medical practice thereafter.

One letter should be from your professor/clinician.  The other letter may be from a clinical advisor, dean, or other relevant person familiar with your community involvement, leadership responsibilities, clinical volunteering, or research that demonstrates your commitment or accomplishments in patient centric and linguistically responsive care.

School transcripts and academic letters can be sent directly to the Scholarship Committee from the medical school. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted. Electronic mail can be sent to socal.residency@kp.org

All documents are due end of business day: January 16, 2026. Letters can be emailed to either emails listed above. All letters must have the signature of the letter writer.

No. A non-relative, who is familiar with your work, may write the letter of recommendation. The letter can also be written by a Kaiser Permanente physician or employee.

No. We require that all applications to be submitted on-line through the residency website to ensure proof of submission. Applications sent by Kaiser Permanente inter-office mail or postal service will not be considered.

No. We are looking for students with various residency and practice interests.

No, we would only like to know if you are involved or plan to be involved at this level.

In order to maintain a fair and equitable process, we request that you do not send photos at this time.  Any photos received during the application process will be discarded and not given to the Scholarship Evaluation Committee.

Applicants will be notified by March.