Underrepresented in Medicine Student Research Program welcomes new student researcher
Underrepresented in Medicine Student Research Program welcomes new student researcher Heading link
Stephanie Lopez, a second-year medical student, has been selected for the UICOMR’s Underrepresented in Medicine Student Research Program (URMSRP).
This program provides medical students from groups who are underrepresented in medicine an opportunity to engage in a research project under the mentorship of experienced researchers and principal investigators.
According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.
Each year, one UICOMR medical student is selected for the program, which provides up to $2,500 in funding for the duration of the student’s project in basic science, clinical, community or translational research.
The URMSRP is a 1- to 3-year research program aimed at stimulating and encouraging underrepresented in medicine individuals’ interest in research and scholarship. The program is made possible by the generous contribution of UICOMR alumna Marygrace Elson, MD, MME, FACOG, and funded via the Marygrace Elson, MD ’82 Catalyst Fund.
“I am honored and grateful to have been chosen as a student researcher in the Underrepresented in Medicine Student Research Program,” Lopez says. “I am excited that the opportunity allows me to continue advocating for underserved populations in hopes to address disparities and ensure equitable access in healthcare to diverse communities.”
Lopez’s project focuses on reproductive and sexual health challenges experienced among the migrant population. She will be working under the research advisement of Linda Humaidan-Zayed, MPH, PhD, MHFA, a senior research specialist for the UIC Center for Global Health. Lopez will also work with Alesia Jones, PhD, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion for UICOMR and director of the URMSRP along with Francis Kazungu, MS, a research associate in the Division of Health Research and Evaluation of the Department of Family and Community Medicine, to further develop and implement her research project.
“Stigma, discrimination and lack of access to healthcare contribute to the health disparities found among the migrant population,” says Dr. Jones. “Stephanie’s project will access the needs of newly arrived migrants to Chicago to identify barriers and challenges to getting their healthcare needs met and identify targeted interventions to address existing disparities.”