The Gold Connection is produced by the Gold Humanism Honor Society, a program of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Listen above or at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Overcast, RadioPublic, and many other podcast platforms. Visit the full podcast list.
Note: The application period for the 2024 Gold Student Summer Fellowships is now open! Learn more and apply by March 18.
In Episode 12, we continue our series of conversations with Gold Student Summer Fellows who each embarked on a summer research or service project to magnify humanism in healthcare and help address health inequities. These are fascinating projects created by medical students to make a difference and grow their skills as future compassionate, relationship-centered physicians.
In this next conversation in our Gold Student Summer Fellows series, Gold Assistant Director of Program Initiatives Michelle Sloane interviews Etta Conteh, Yamilet Gonzalez, and Hannah Wilson, who are 2022 Gold Student Summer Fellows and medical students at the University of Central College of Medicine. Together with three other medical student team members, Muneeza Rashid, Anela Carrazana, and Ana Carrazana, they developed M.E.D.S. (Medical Enrichment for Diverse Students), an innovative Orlando-based student-led mentoring program that addresses a growing need for diverse healthcare workers through the extension of pivotal educational opportunities for students with socioeconomic disadvantages. The M.E.D.S. program includes 1-in-1 mentoring sessions, therapy services, community service projects, and health disparities workshops. Over the long term, this project aims to improve the health of underserved patient populations in Central Florida through empowering and training future healthcare leaders from within these communities.
Etta Conteh, 2022 Gold Student Summer Fellow and medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. She is pursuing medicine to decrease health disparities and increase access to medical care in underserved and minority communities. She is the former president of Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and White Coats for Black Lives (WC4BL), and in this role she aimed to increase conversations surrounding advocacy and minority health at her institution. Her career interest is psychiatry.
Yamilet Gonzalez, 2022 Gold Student Summer Fellow and medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Yamilet was motivated to pursue medicine based on her experiences as a young child helping her family navigate the healthcare system as a first-generation Dominican American. She aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon and use her platform to empower women to pursue surgical specialties. She is also committed to improving access to critical social and medical needs within underserved communities. Through her leadership within the Office of Diversity, Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), and American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), she has proven to be a dedicated advocate for her community by spearheading several community outreach projects including the development of M.E.D.S.
Hannah Wilson, 2022 Gold Student Summer Fellow and medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. Hannah aims to pursue her passion for patient advocacy and equity in care. She serves as the SNMA president and uses this role to advocate for the educational advancement of minority students, while also serving as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Chapman Compassionate Care, which is a student run clinic that provides healthcare for the homeless population of Orlando. Her career interest includes OB/GYN and continuing to contribute to the work in ending the maternal mortality disparity (or rates) amongst women of color.
Show notes
Gold Student Summer Fellowships
How to Apply for a 2024 Gold Student Summer Fellowship Deadline is March 18 for 2024 applications.
17 medical students named 2022 Gold Student Summer Fellows
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Transcript coming soon!
