Eighteen-year-old Joseph Marte is a first year student at CUNY’s 7-year BS/MD program, beginning an educational journey that will result in him achieving his dream of becoming a doctor. That journey started at Staten Island University Hospital’s Physician Career Enhancement Program—a pipeline program for high school students from underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in medicine…. Read More
Joseph Myrie grew up in the Bronx with parents who immigrated from Jamaica and Barbados. He was inspired to pursue medicine both by watching his mother, a nurse, and by his pediatrician, who told him how he could turn his love of science into a career. When Myrie got the opportunity to shadow physicians in… Read More
When Virginia Ramos immigrated to the US with her parents at age 9, she brought with her a love of science. After volunteering at a local hospital in the Bronx during middle school, she decided that she wanted to use that interest to pursue a career in medicine. But she encountered many challenges on her… Read More
Albert Fernandez became interested in medicine at an early age after hearing stories from his grandfather who was a physician in Puerto Rico. “What drew me to medicine was seeing the impact my grandfather was able to have throughout his career,” said Fernandez. “I was really impressed by his knowledge and how he was able… Read More
As a child growing up in Buffalo, Alexis Sykes developed an interest in medicine while spending time in hospitals visiting relatives and witnessing the important role doctors played. Along with medicine, she became interested in public health and research, developing a passion about how all these fields intersect. “I always thought of a physician as… Read More
While growing up in Brooklyn, Sheba Ebhote, the daughter of a Guyanese immigrant, saw her family struggle to access quality healthcare. “There was a disconnect between the providers and us as patients, leading to distrust,” she said. The experience inspired her at an early age to pursue becoming a physician and work in an inner-city… Read More
As a child in Ecuador, Paola Morocho watched her grandmother struggle with osteoporosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and felt helpless in the face of her pain. When they would travel together over an hour to seek medical care, she was impressed by the doctors who were able to help her grandmother, and aspired to be like… Read More
Dayle Hodge had been working as a biomedical engineer before deciding to pursue his dream of earning an M.D./Ph.D. But, upon enrolling at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he also discovered a calling to open doors to science careers for younger students of color. Hodge’s outreach mission was driven by his recognition of the advantages… Read More
As a young child living near SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Renee Fleming would ask her mother who the people she saw going in and out of the hospital were. When she learned they were doctors, and that their job was to help people by keeping them healthy, she set her sights on becoming a physician… Read More
Dr. Jessica Peña always had an interest in science, but a career in medicine seemed daunting to her. After all, she hadn’t seen doctors who looked like her. That all changed when she enrolled in Weill Cornell Medicine’s Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) which exposes high school sophomores and juniors to science-related activities…. Read More
