Preparing for the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin interview

Standing out during your interview at Dell Medical School requires a thorough understanding of Austin's unique healthcare challenges, Texas' evolving medical landscape, and Dell Med's innovative approach to transforming healthcare delivery through their "Leading EDGE" curriculum.

This strategic preparation guide provides key insights to help you craft compelling responses that align with Dell Med's core mission of revolutionizing how people get and stay healthy. Demonstrating awareness of their commitment to radical collaboration and real-world impact will showcase your potential as a future physician leader.

1. The Dell Med Interview: Structure, Themes, and Hidden Signals

Dell Medical School uses a hybrid interview format combining traditional one-on-one interviews with Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs). 

Key details:

• Traditional Interviews: 30–45 minutes with faculty or community leaders. Focus areas: “Why Dell Med?”, ethical dilemmas in health equity, and your vision for healthcare transformation.

• MMI Stations: 6–8 scenarios testing problem-solving (e.g., “Design a mobile clinic for colonias along the Texas-Mexico border”) and role-playing (e.g., addressing vaccine hesitancy in East Austin’s Black community).

• Themes: Healthcare innovation, community collaboration (Dell’s partnerships with Austin Public Health), and systemic inequities (e.g., Travis County’s 15-year life expectancy gap between ZIP codes 78702 and 78758).

Insider Tip: Dell Med seeks “disruptive thinkers.” Mention their Health Transformation Research Institute or Design Institute for Health to show alignment with their reimagined care models.

2. Texas Healthcare Policy: Battleground for Innovation

1. Medicaid Non-Expansion & the Uninsured Crisis

Issue: Texas remains the only state refusing Medicaid expansion under the ACA, leaving 18% of residents uninsured—the highest rate in the U.S. Rural areas like Hidalgo County (32% uninsured) rely on Dell’s Health Leadership Collaborative, training community health workers to bridge gaps.

Tip: In MMI scenarios about access, propose replicating Dell’s MAP Clinic, which provides free specialty care to uninsured Austinites.

2. Rural Hospital Closures

Issue: 26 rural Texas hospitals have closed since 2010. Dell’s Texas Health Catalyst funds innovations like tele-psychiatry in Marfa (Presidio County), where the nearest inpatient mental health facility is 200 miles away.

Tip: Reference Dell’s partnership with CommUnityCare when discussing rural care solutions.

3. Maternal Mortality & SB 8 Fallout

Issue: Texas’ maternal death rate (22.9/100k) exceeds the national average. Black women are 2x more likely to die postpartum. Post-Dobbs, Texas’ abortion ban (SB 8) has increased high-risk pregnancies. Dell’s Maternal Health Equity Initiative trains OB-GYNs in complex care for marginalized patients.

Tip: Cite Dell’s work with Austin’s African American Breastfeeding Coalition to show cultural competency.

3. Current Events: Weave These into Responses

Local Flashpoints

• Migrant Health Crisis: 2023 saw 2.4 million migrant crossings in Texas. Dell Med students volunteer at Hospitals for Humanity clinics in El Paso, treating dehydration and infectious diseases.

• Climate Health: July 2023 broke Austin’s heat records (45 days >100°F). Dell’s Climate Health and Equity Program partners with unhoused shelters to prevent heatstroke deaths.

• Mental Health in Schools: Uvalde’s 2022 shooting spurred Texas’ $1.5B school safety bill. Dell’s Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium trains school-based counselors.

National Issues with Texas Impact

• Gun Violence: Texas leads in firearm deaths (4,613 in 2022). Dell’s Pecan Street Project integrates violence prevention into primary care for Austin’s Black and Latino youth.

• AI in Healthcare: Texas’ 2023 AI Advisory Council addresses bias. Dell’s AI for Health team developed an algorithm to reduce sepsis deaths at Ascension Seton—mention this in ethics stations.

Tip: Use the “STAR” method with Texas examples. E.g., “Volunteering at a colonias clinic (Situation), I saw diabetes disparities (Task). I helped implement Dell’s mobile screening vans (Action), cutting A1C levels by 18% (Result).”

4. The 5 Questions Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin is most likely to ask during your medical school interview

1. “How would you redesign prenatal care for low-income Austinites post-SB 8?”

2. “A patient refuses a COVID booster, citing distrust in ‘government medicine.’ How do you respond?”

3. “Texas has the highest uninsured rate. Propose a policy solution beyond Medicaid expansion.”

4. “Describe a time you innovated within constraints. How does this relate to Dell’s mission?”

5. “Why Dell Med over other Texas schools? How will our ‘Valuing’ curriculum shape your training?”