UMSOM Medical Students Mentor Advanced Learners from Baltimore City Public Schools as Part of Science-Based Learning Program

Partnership Between UMSOM and Participating City Schools Help Foster the Next Generation of Physician-Scientists

As part of the MD program curriculum at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), medical students are required to complete a service-learning project within their first year. The Gifted and Advanced Learning Program (GAL), one of several volunteer opportunities offered to medical students, is a partnership between the Gifted and Advanced Learning (GAL) Office of City Schools and UMSOM that provides a science-based mentorship program for identified third-grade advanced learners at select schools throughout the city. UMSOM medical students serve as mentors for these students and help to broaden their perspectives of what is possible for their future. The students also are introduced to a wide range of topics related to science and medicine with the hope of sparking an interest in these fields.

“The goal of the program is to get our students to become a part of the community that they will be learning medicine from, and practicing medicine in,” said Norman F. Retener, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Longitudinal Undergraduate Medical Education, and First-Year Practice of Medicine Course Director at UMSOM.  “It is important that we address health inequity in our future physician work force and break down the barriers between providers and patients, particularly at our institution and community in West Baltimore.

UMSOM medical students Ozerk Turan, MS, MD Candidate, and Theresa Nguyen, MD Candidate, both members of the Class of 2025, have served as mentors at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School since 2021. For one hour each week, Turan and Nguyen partner together in planning interactive, hands-on lessons and group activities for their group of students. Funding for supplies and educational materials is provided through philanthropic support from the Office of Development at UMSOM. The GAL liaison at Mount Royal offers guidance and resources that help mentors plan their weekly lessons and activities for the students.

“This collaboration helps our students to become even better versions of themselves through connecting with smart and energetic learners,” said Donna L. Parker, MD, FACP, Professor of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at UMSOM. “These terrific kids are helping our students to become better doctors who understand how to care for people by first caring about them. Everyone wins.”

Every weekly session begins with mentors identifying the topic and objective for the day. Students are encouraged to take notes in their journals and engage in a brief discussion about the topic. Then, the group engages in a hands-on experiment or group activity. The program began with nearly seven students in 2021 and ended with a total of 11 students by the end of the year.

“I developed quite a bond with the students during my first year,” said Turan. “Our students were so incredibly energetic and eager to learn about science. I could not imagine leaving them after just one year.”

“Being a GAL mentor has shown me the importance of these types of programs in local schools. I recognize that not all children have this opportunity to learn from actual medical students about medicine and science,” said Nguyen. “Given our great experience and the deep connections we made with our students during the first year, we requested to return to the school for a second year to work with the same students.”

Although Turan and Nguyen have already satisfied their service-learning requirement, they decided to return as mentors for a second year at Mount Royal. Their current group of students, nearly doubling in class size, are exploring a wide variety of topics this year, including the basics of human anatomy, genetics, and environmental/animal sciences. GAL has significantly expanded from 10 initial participating schools to over 22 schools across the city.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 46 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs, and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.3 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic, and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has nearly $600 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 students, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of over $6 billion and an economic impact of nearly $20 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity (according to the Association of American Medical Colleges profile) is an innovator in translational medicine, with 606 active patents and 52 start-up companies. In the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the Best Medical Schools, published in 2021, the UM School of Medicine is ranked #9 among the 92 public medical schools in the U.S., and in the top 15 percent (#27) of all 192 public and private U.S. medical schools. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu