SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Pathways Program: Fostering Scholarship and Professional Networks Among Medical Students From Historically Underrepresented Groups in Medicine via Conference Support & Training

Pathways Program: Fostering Scholarship and Professional Networks Among Medical Students From Historically Underrepresented Groups in Medicine via Conference Support & Training

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This document describes a low-cost strategy to improve access, mentorship, and professional development for learners underrepresented in medicine (URiM) at regional and national medical conferences.<br /><br />The authors note that URiM pre-medical students, medical students, and residents often face financial and logistical barriers to attending conferences where they could meet physician mentors and academic leaders. To address this, they created a conference-based URiM pathway that connected interested learners with committed faculty members who are active in specialty societies and willing to mentor or coach.<br /><br />Their approach included contacting schools and URiM student organizations in the host city, inviting interested URiM learners to attend conferences at no cost, and sponsoring a half-day experience with conference session attendance, lunch with paired faculty mentors, and roundtable discussions with academic medicine leaders. The program also extended support beyond the conference through follow-up activities such as mock interviews, residency application Q&A sessions, scholarship and publishing workshops, MCAT prep Q&A, and “In Real Life” sessions where URiM medical students shared experiences with undergraduates.<br /><br />Reported outcomes were positive. Participants said they connected with mentors, obtained sub-internships, and successfully submitted residency applications. They also found the post-conference support helpful. Faculty participants reported feeling more connected and invigorated by the experience.<br /><br />Overall, the lesson learned is that meaningful inclusion of URiM learners can be achieved with a practical, reproducible, and relatively low-cost model that can be implemented at conferences across the United States to expand access to mentorship and guidance.

Asset Subtitle

Mary Ann K. Hall

Meta Tag

Author List Khaalisha Ajala, Mary Ann K. Hall

Category Innovations

Concept Underrepresented Populations

Concept Conference Intervention

Concept Faculty Mentor

Concept Pathway Program

Concept Access

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine

Presenting Author Mary Ann K. Hall

Track Education

Keywords

underrepresented in medicine

URiM

medical conferences

mentorship

professional development

access to education

faculty mentorship

residency applications

conference pathway

low-cost model

Underrepresented Populations

Conference Intervention

Faculty Mentor

Pathway Program

Access