Mentorship Program

The mission of the MOLA Mentorship Program is to provide sustained, professionally-supported relationships to underrepresented Latino/a students pursuing careers in health care.

The MOLA Mentorship Program aims to build a pipeline to health care careers for motivated high school and undergraduate students.  Mentorship is provided in a team-based structure across all levels: Health Care Leaders, Physicians, Resident Physicians, Medical Students, Undergraduates, and High School Students.

Being a mentor is an amazing and rewarding way to give back to the community and make a difference in the life of a young aspiring physician.
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
  • Medical Simulation Program
  • Leadership Development
  • Monthly events with Latino-focused health care leaders and doctors
  • Opportunity to have a one-on-one or team mentorship with successful doctors and health leaders
  • Public Health Experiential Learning
  • Annual Latino Health Symposium
MENTORSHIP PROGRAM LEVELS
  • High School
  • Undergraduate
  • Team-based mentorship provided by health care leaders, physicians, residents, medical students, and International Medical Graduates (IMGs).

Get involved

MENTOR AND MENTEE APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2021-2022 CYCLE WILL CLOSE ON AUGUST 28TH, 2021 AT 11:59 PM CST. HOWEVER, YOU CAN STILL APPLY TO BE INCORPORATED INTO OUR MENTORSHIP PROGRAMMING, YOU WILL JUST NOT BE ASSIGNED AN OFFICIAL MENTOR OR BE ASSIGNED TO A CASA.
MENTEE

Benefits of being a MOLA Mentee:

  • Boost your network
  • Gain practical advice, encouragement & support
  • Identify goals and establish a sense of direction
  • Increase your social and academic confidence to make empowered decisions
  • Develop your intrapersonal & interpersonal skills
  • Recommendation letters
  • Free MOLA Latino Health Symposium entrance
  • MOLA Mentorship Program Certificate

If you are interested in becoming a MOLA MENTEE (all levels welcomed including: high school, undergraduate, medical school, resident), please click the button below to complete your MOLA MENTEE application.

Click here for MENTEE application

MENTOR

Being a MOLA Mentor offers numerous benefits that go beyond the classroom:

  • Recognition as a subject matter expert and leader in your field

  • Exposure to fresh perspectives, ideas, and innovative approaches

  • Enhancement of your professional development portfolio

  • Opportunity to reflect on your own goals and practices

  • Development of leadership and coaching skills that transcend boundaries

Make a Difference:

Your contribution matters. By dedicating your time to mentorship, you are contributing to the development of diverse and impactful future healthcare professionals.

If you are interested in becoming a MOLA MENTOR, please click here for instructions and click the button below to complete your MOLA MENTOR application.

Click here for MENTOR application

Dr. Joaquin Estrada, MOLA’s Vice President and a member of the MOLA Mentorship Program, is shown here speaking to a room full of eager pre-health Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students.
MOLA Medical Student representatives Samuel Meza and Maribel Muñoz from Rush spoke to youth about joining MOLA's Mentorship Program during the I Am Abel Conference on May 18th, 2019. The I Am Abel organization mentors underrepresented youth in careers in medicine.
  • Mentees built a strong curriculum vitae and got their professional headshot taken at MOLA’s CV Workshop and Headshots Session.
  • Mentees learned new skills using the manikins at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center’s state-of-the-art simulation center. Mentees also benefited from a joint event with Illinois Heart Rescue to teach a Basic Training: Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Class skills class.
  • Partnership with a mentorship focused organization: I Am Abel, and presentation at their annual conference.
  • Kicked off the Mentorship Program successfully at the 3rd Annual Latino Health Symposium with the MOLA Mentorship Breakfast. Committee members engaged the audience in a talk titled, “How to be an Effective Mentor and Successful Mentee”.
  • Partnered with Junior Achievement of Chicago to host Doctor’s Day. Chicago Public School students were exposed to amazing doctors through panels and participated in workshops that highlighted finances, career success, and basic life support.
  • Partnered with University of Illinois College of Medicine Hispanic Center of Excellence to provide MOLA’s Mentorship Program an opportunity to hear the stories and advice of residents and MDs. Dr. Celeste Cruz closed the event with her inspiring story on how she became a breast surgeon and the work she currently does.

7 MENTORSHIP EVENTS


30 ENGAGED VOLUNTEERS


260 LIVES TOUCHED

Partnership with Advocate Illinois Masonic Simulation Center:
MOLA Simulation Team, april 2018

MOLA Simulation Team: our students learn and practiced life saving pediatric skills: CPR, choking, hand hygiene, newborn child care, vaccination, and vital signs. April, 2018.

The training program, developed in partnership with Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, provides participating students with basic clinical training and expose them to real-world medical scenarios through the hospital’s state-of-the-art Simulation Center.

In addition to learning from the program’s physician mentors, students also learn basic medical knowledge, including first aid, vital signs, and CPR, and utilize these skills on robotic patients, also known as “manikins.”  Through the program curriculum, students participate in emergency scenarios that could take place in the community such as childbirths and opioid overdose.  MOLA’s students represent various Chicago Public Schools high schools, local community colleges, and universities.

“As a resident physician, being a part of MOLA allows me to stay connected to mentoring students and at the same time learning from local successful attending physicians as I plan the next steps in my medical career.”
Toni Riveros, MD