YPI Virtual Mentorship Circles (YPI VMC)

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of virtual learning due to the limitation of social distancing. Therefore, YPI has invested in building virtual models to expand its work of mentorship and guidance.

The YPI Mentorship Circles creates virtual groups of students from specific backgrounds and ethnicities. Medical students and physicians lead each circle providing guidance, mentorship, and opportunities through virtual communication using texting, video conferencing, and email. Since January 2020, YPI has started two mentorship circles groups.

YPI VMC Goals: 

• Implement a sustainable virtual platform for underrepresented and underserved students to increase their representation in medicine
• Increasing access to mentorship, opportunities and guidance to students regardless of location.
• Encourage team working skills applied to concerns encountered in Health Care.
• Provide high impact mentorship targeted towards medical school application strategies for success.
• Promote low effort, high impact community outreach activities.

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​What does the VMC stand for?

•  Mentorship 
•  Inspiration 
•  Networking
•  Opportunity

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Our YPI VMC Directors

​YPI VMC Senior Director 
Julio C Santana, M4
University of Alabama at Birmingham SoM

​YPI VMC Director 
Dasiel Bellido de Luna, M3
University of Alabama at Birmingham SoM ​

​YPI VMC Director 
Adonias Lemma, M2
Morehouse SoM

YPI-VMC Students
Who can join VMC?

• Underrepresented college students interested in becoming physicians can become Virtual Mentorship Circle members and benefit from mentorship and networking

What are the benefits of joining the VMC?

•   Have medical students and physicians to be your mentors
•   Build teamwork skills with your fellow VMC members
•   Get involved in community service and volunteering experiences
•   Work toward building a competitive and robust application
•   Learn about pathways toward becoming a doctor
•   Acquire skills to make a Personal Statement and how to navigate in the application cycle
•   Access to our clinical partners 
•   Resources for clinical experiences 
•   Letters of recommendation 

 
How do you become a VMC member?

• Fill out the student application.​​

VMC Student Application

YPI-VMC Leader
Who can be a YPI Virtual Mentor?

•       Medial student MS1 - MS4
•       Dedicated to our model of sustainability              

                   - YPI-VMC works like a residency program, where senior mentors train new virtual mentors  
                   - Each new mentor is assigned to a virtual group          
                   - New mentors will take responsibility for leading their group            ​
                   - Train the next new virtual mentors next academic year

Why become a YPI Virtual Mentor?

•           It is a low effort, high impact activity that will meet the busy schedule of medical school
•           Be a mentor for underrepresented students who want to become a physician
•           Inspire underrepresented students to pursue medicine 
•           Acquire leadership experience and team-based work experience 
•           Work with physicians and other medical students          
•           Become a leader in the field of diversity in medicine and mentorship
•           Make a difference in underserved communities​

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YPI Virtual Mentor Responsibilities:

•    Schedule 1-2 sessions a semester via virtual meetings (Zoom)
•    Each session will be 45 - 60 minutes long
•    Lead session for your virtual group of students and get to know their goals, concerns, and questions
•    Engage students during sessions and follow up virtually (WhatsApp) throughout the program 
•    Meet with other YPI-VMC members and board leadership as needed to promote the success of the program
•    Work with another medical student in leading the group
•    Medical Students are the circle leaders, and MD mentors will act as a support
•    Every circle will be different, but overall the same expectations will apply​

Our YPI VMC leaders are volunteer medical students who dedicate their time to inspire the next generation of doctors.
Learn to Serve and Train to Lead

YPI-VMC Leader Application

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YPI VMC Medical Advisor
MD Mentors Expectations: 

• Low effort, high impact
• Meet virtually with the VMC group when possible and available
• Engage students virtually (WhatsApp) throughout the program
• Inspire and advise students about the path to becoming a physician 
• Engage with students about their goals and concerns
• Help and provide networking opportunities when available and possible
• Medical Students are the circle leaders, and MD mentors will act as advisor

If you are interested to join, please complete the ​YPI Volunteer Professionals and select VMC as one of the activities.

Our YPI VMC Community Service
Different YPI VMC circles also partner with various organizations to volunteer in serving their communities. 
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Our first-generation Hispanic immigrant YPI VMC group noticed the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Latin American community in the United States. As a compromised group of students and future healthcare providers, they developed an online campaign and worked volunteering in mask and hand sanitizer distribution in different areas of Georgia.

COVID Prevention

The Latino Campaign for COVID Awareness (LCCA) has over 200 likes and has reached over 4,400 people  on the mission to educate Hispanic communities during the COVID pandemic. ​