The gift that keeps on giving: Stanford REACH-HBMC mentors & mentees reflect on shared season of learning

Launched in 2017, the Stanford REACH-HBMC Summer Research Program offers an 8-week, on-campus research program for rising second-year medical students from from all four of our nation's Historically Black Medical Colleges (HBMCs). Majesty Greer, a medical student from Howard University, was among 57 mentees in the 2022 program cohort. "I not only got the chance to experience Stanford and do research there, but I met so many people that are so happy to help me reach my professional and personal goals," Majesty says, describing the program "as the gift that just keeps on giving".

The quickly growing program matches mentees with Stanford Medicine faculty mentors and labs for a bi-directional research experience. While the first year (2017) saw just two mentees, both from Meharry Medical College, the program is now a part of Stanford Medicine's Racial Equity to Advance a Community of Health (REACH) Initiative, and partners with all four HBMCs, namely Howard University's College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine.

We asked mentor/mentee pairs from the Summer 2022 and Summer 2023 REACH-HBMC cohorts to share their thoughts and impressions. Here is what they had to say.

Josiah Thule, Glenn Chertow, & Maria Montez-Rath

Josiah Thule, Morehouse Mentee

"The Stanford REACH program provided me with the opportunity to experience a taste of academic medicine. Being able to focus solely on research in the gap between academic semesters, surrounded by the strong culture of teamwork and innovation, I was able to learn even more than I had hoped would be possible."

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I was lucky enough to be a part of the 2023 HBMC REACH program at Stanford this Summer. I initially found out about the program from a colleague who was a mentee in the program the previous year, and spoke highly of their experience. Even before being matched with my mentor, it was clear that the program was determined to create a productive environment for a novice researcher to learn and make connections within the community of medical research.

When I met with Dr. Chertow in the spring prior to the start of the program, my perceptions of the program were further affirmed. He was gentle and wise with his instruction, recognizing my lack of hands-on research experience but nonetheless giving me the responsibility and opportunity to learn as I went along. As we worked through the process of deciding on a question, Dr. Chertow helped to guide me in selecting a question that was both novel as well as feasible to complete in the finite time window of the program.

Upon arriving in Stanford, I was able to join Dr. Chertow in some of his research meetings, attend program events about Stanford residency, and attend grand rounds for the Department of Medicine and Division of Nephrology. I was also fortunate enough to have the assistance of the statistics team at Porter Drive, in particular Dr Snow Yu, a biostatistician in the Department of Medicine. Without her help, the project would have been nearly impossible to complete.

My time at Stanford showed me the importance of collaboration in research. In seeing the research group Dr. Chertow was a part of, consisting of statisticians, post docs, urologists, and nephrologists, and in my own experiences and reliance on the statistics team of Snow and Maria, it became even more clear that medicine, and medical research in particular, is a group effort that relies on the efforts of multiple dedicated individuals.

The Stanford REACH program provided me with the opportunity to experience a taste of academic medicine. Dr. Chertow was an amazing mentor, generous in his wealth of knowledge and kind in his understanding of my role as a student. The REACH-HBMC team was enthusiastic, helpful, and always quick to respond to any concerns that we as mentees might encounter.

Being able to focus solely on research in the gap between academic semesters, surrounded by the strong culture of teamwork and innovation, I was able to learn even more than I had hoped would be possible. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been able to participate in this program, and hope to return to Stanford in the future to build on the positive impressions that were initiated this summer.

- Josiah Thule, Morehouse Mentee, Summer 2023

Glenn Chertow, MD, MPH, Stanford REACH-HBMC Mentor

"With the tremendous help of Xue (Snow) Yu and Maria Montez-Rath, biostatisticians with whom we work closely, Josiah was able to complete his analytic plan, review results, and draft a manuscript, which should be ready to submit before the end of the summer."

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It was such a pleasure to work with soon-to-be Dr. Thule (Josiah) this past summer. I found it extremely helpful to connect remotely before we met in person, as we were able to levelset on Josiah's goals for the experience.

Josiah wanted to immerse himself in research. Fortunately, I have the privilege of working with a generous, collaborative group of faculty and staff, all of whom welcomed Josiah into on-line and in-person research meetings. Josiah returned our welcome with a well-paced and considered approach to his research project, consuming textbook chapters, review articles, and original research on the topic we chose to study.

With the tremendous help of Xue (Snow) Yu and Maria Montez-Rath, biostatisticians with whom we work closely, Josiah was able to complete his analytic plan, review results, and draft a manuscript, which should be ready to submit before the end of the summer.

Personally, the highlight of the REACH experience was having Josiah and three of his classmates join my family for brunch in San Francisco during PRIDE weekend. We hope to welcome all of them back to Stanford someday soon!

- Glenn Chertow, MD, MPH, Stanford REACH-HBMC Faculty Mentor

Maria Montez-Rath, PhD, Stanford REACH-HBMC Mentor

"Josiah is an absolutely wonderful student, very bright and dedicated. Even though he came without much research experience, he dived into the topic he selected with Dr Chertow and learned not only about the clinical subject but also about the data and the statistical methods."

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Josiah is an absolutely wonderful student, very bright and dedicated. Even though he came without much research experience, he dived into the topic he selected with Dr Chertow and learned not only about the clinical subject but also about the data and the statistical methods. Sometimes it is easy to fall back and let the statisticians do the work, but he didn't. He wanted to have an overall understanding of the entire project.

Being able to communicate and discuss the methods and results with the researchers is an important part of team science and Josiah was up to task.

- Maria Montez-Rath, PhD, Stanford REACH-HBMC Faculty Mentor

Majesty Greer, Elijah McMillan, Creed Stary

Summer 2022 & 2023 Mentor/Mentee Pairings

Creed Stary, MD, Stanford REACH-HBMC Mentor

"The immersive program allowed Majesty and Elijah to start by first acquiring basic laboratory skills and then progressing to learning more advanced scientific techniques. As their mentor, their engagement and enthusiasm in the program was wholly rewarding."

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Basic science research is a fundamental component in advancing the practice of clinical medicine, and the Stanford REACH-HBMC program has been a fantastic mechanism for me as a clinician scientist to provide research mentorship to promising future physicians.

The immersive program allowed Majesty and Elijah to start by first acquiring basic laboratory skills and then progressing to learning more advanced scientific techniques. As their mentor, their engagement and enthusiasm in the program was wholly rewarding, and evident in their continued involvement in their respective projects after their formal rotation ended, and with their requests to present our findings at national meetings.

In parallel, the REACH program provides an avenue for trainees to learn about research opportunities during their medical training and beyond. For example, within our Stanford department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine we offer the Fellowship in Anesthesia Research and Medicine, designed for trainees who want to pursue a combined career in research and academic anesthesia. Beyond that, anesthesia residency graduates can find support through our Stanford T32 Research in Anesthesia Training program, as well as career development awards offered through the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research and the International Anesthesia Research Society.

Finally, the REACH-HBMC program has enriched my own experience as an NIH-funded neuroscientist, providing me with additional mentorship training, and aligning with my own personal goals and the NIH mission to increase diversity and support inclusion in the greater neuroscience research community.

As an extension of my experience with the REACH-HBMC program I plan to grow my engagement with mentored diversity outreach, for example by applying for support from an NIH R35 Research Program Award. Of course, I also plan to remain engaged in both Majesty and Elijah's careers as they progress through their training and beyond, and to continue my participation with the REACH-HBMC program!

- Creed Stary, MD, Stanford REACH-HBMC Faculty Mentor

Majesty Greer, Howard Mentee

"I always describe the REACH-HBMC program as the gift that just keeps on giving. I not only got the chance to experience Stanford and do research there, but I met so many people that are so happy to help me reach my professional and personal goals."

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The Stanford REACH -HBMC program was such an amazing experience for me. I went into the program hoping to learn more about anesthesia from my mentor and possibly be a part of a publication. In the end, I was able to make relationships with not only my mentor and the REACH-HBMC staff, but within the Stanford Anesthesia Residency Program as well.

Never before did I ever believe that Stanford was an attainable goal for my future residency; however, through the guidance of the REACH and Anesthesia residency staff, I not only believe that I could potentially continue my medical training at Stanford but I really want to do so. Everyone was so nice and welcoming to my colleagues and me.

The REACH program made sure to provide the students with opportunities to not only do research but to explore other specialties in medicine. One of my favorite activities was the Thursday breakfasts with program directors. I was able to talk to so many amazing doctors and get some shadowing opportunities.

The Thursday breakfast didn't include the anesthesia residency so I reached out to [Executive Director of PRESENCE] Sonoo Thadaney Israni, asking if she could connect me with anyone from anesthesia: she immediately helped me get in touch with the residency program. Through that, we were able to organize a meet and greet with our school's Anesthesia Interest Group, and write an abstract with the residency program on increasing diversity in anesthesia that we will be presenting at the 2023 American Society of Anesthesiologists meeting.

Dr. Creed Stary has been such an amazing mentor: we still regularly keep in contact even though it's been a year since I finished the REACH program. I came into Dr. Stary's lab excited to work and with the goal of publishing my first paper. I told him that and he helped me find a path to doing so. In the end, I published two papers with him, and I improved upon my technical, protocol writing, and notetaking skills through the various projects that I worked on.

I was also able to present a poster at the 2023 International Anesthesia Research Society symposium in Denver this past April. That was such an amazing opportunity where I got to present to so many anesthesiologists and made new connections. I recently reached out to Dr. Stary to explain how I want to learn how to write a paper from scratch, so he assigned me to a review paper with Elijah so we can both experience writing a research paper and going through the review process. I am super excited to build upon those skills.

All in all, I always describe the REACH-HBMC program as the gift that just keeps on giving. I not only got the chance to experience Stanford and do research there, but I met so many people that are so happy to help me reach my professional and personal goals. The opportunities that I have gotten this past year wouldn't have happened without the amazing staff of the REACH-HBMC program, Dr. Stary, and the Stanford Anesthesia Residency Program.

Stanford really put in the effort to make me feel welcomed, and I am hoping that I can return for the SCORE away program this year and hopefully residency during the Match 2025 cycle.

- Majesty Greer, Howard Mentee, Summer 2023

Elijah McMillan, Howard Mentee

"From the first day in the program, I felt extremely comfortable and truly felt accepted into the Stanford family. This is an amazing program with tremendous people running it and I am eager to see how it will transform other medical students' lives in the future like it did mine!"

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To be a part of the Stanford HBMC-REACH program was a life-changing experience, to say the least. A program like this which gives underrepresented students like me an opportunity to learn from pioneers in various fields and conduct research is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

From the first day in the program, I felt extremely comfortable and truly felt accepted into the Stanford family. While there were a plethora of opportunities to learn about various fields and specialties as well as networking opportunities, the priority of the program was for my cohort to gain experience in research.

Dr. Creed Stary was a tremendous mentor who taught me so much throughout the program. He has a tremendous lab with great research associates (Dr. Xu and Dr. Sun) who introduced me to various lab techniques, data analysis methods, and imaging techniques.

Dr. Stary thoroughly understands the makings of an ideal mentor-mentee relationship and puts in every effort to further me as a current student and future physician. During this past summer, we worked on two extremely intriguing projects. The first was titled, "Conditional-Neuronal miR-200c Deletion Protects Against Experimental Stroke by Augmenting Brain Sirtuin-1 Expression" and the second was titled, "Circulating Maternal Postpartum Exosomes Provide Protection Against Oxidative Stress in Vitro and Contain Elevated Levels of Heat Shock Protein 20."

In short, this is an amazing program with tremendous people running it and I am eager to see how it will transform other medical students' lives in the future like it did mine!

- Elijah McMillan, Howard Mentee, Summer 2023