The Underserved Pathway mentorship is a longitudinal relationship to support students’ interest and commitment to caring for people who are under-resourced and marginalized.
Why is mentorship impactful?
Working with a mentor provides you early and consistent exposure to professionals who can offer valuable insights into what it’s like to care for underserved populations. These mentors can answer questions, provide advice, and support you through your education and professional development.
Please read the UP Guide to Mentorship to understand the goals and benefits of UP mentorship and how to foster a more meaningful relationship with your mentor.
Some mentor-mentee pairs use the Underserved Pathway Mentoring Roadmap to guide their quarterly check-ins. It has suggestions for discussion topics for all four years of medical school, with a few reminders about Pathway deadlines!
Students initiate check ins with their mentor once per quarter or a minimum of four check-ins per year. Check-ins can occur in-person, or by phone, video chat, e-mail, or text.
Students are required to confirm their mentor by updating their UP Tracker with the mentor’s information by the end of Foundations Phase (December 31 of your MS2 year). Students enrolling after the end of Foundations Phase need to have an established mentor in place prior to enrolling. The complete Pathway Mentorship Policy can be found here.
Who are Underserved Pathway mentors?
Underserved Pathway mentors are healthcare professionals from across the WWAMI region who are involved in the care of underserved populations in a variety of capacities. UP mentors must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:
– primarily care for underserved patients
– have extensive history of caring for underserved patients
– are from a group historically underrepresented in medicine
– conduct research related to the health of historically marginalized people
How do students find their mentors?