A Talent Identification Project (TIP) has been successful in selecting, motivating, and assisting high school juniors and seniors with disadvantaged backgrounds who have potential for careers in the health sciences. Increases in TIP contacts in rural counties and efforts to provide more opportunities for rural background students at the University's School of Medicine have been followed by increases in the number of rural background students in general and TIP rural students in particular who apply to and enter the School of Medicine. Considering trends which suggest that rural background medical graduates are more likely than others to practice in rural areas, the picture for underserved rural areas seems more favorable as a result of the TIP. (CL)