The nation’s eyes are back on medical professionals after the president was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center with a coronavirus diagnosis this week. At the start of the pandemic we discussed the honor society for medical students, but what about pre-med? Do they have their own honor society before their head-first thrust into medical school? The short answer is, yes!

Alpha Epsilon Delta was founded in 1926 by 15 premedical students at The University of Alabama to specifically honor and recognize students in pre-med academics. Their mission statement reads: “Alpha Epsilon Delta is the National Health Pre-professional Honor Society dedicated to the encouragement and recognition of excellence in preprofessional health scholarship, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary, and others. The Society welcomes ALL students engaged in the pursuit of a professional healthcare career. AED offers opportunities for intellectual and professional development, provides a forum for students with common interests, and extends a program of service to benefit the college/university community.”

Within its first three years, AED chapters were formed on the campuses of Baylor University, Samford University, The University of Texas, and The University of South Carolina. The first two women were inducted in 1929 which made the organization one of the first co-educational honor societies. The Society is open to all qualified students interested in any form of medical education.

In order to qualify for membership, students must achieve a minimum of a 3.2 GPA in science courses and in overall academics, complete at least three semesters of college credit/pre-professional medical work, and a certain number of volunteer hours. Students must also be in good standing with their college/university.

Alpha Epsilon Delta is currently one of the world’s largest honor societies for premedical students with over 144,000 members spanning across 186 chapters. You’ll recognize them on graduation day by their red and purple honor cords.

Are you a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta? Let us know in the comments!

Cover photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash