Visibility & support for first generation college graduates in medicine

Abstract

Being a First Generation (First Gen) college graduate is an important intersectionality which impacts the lens through which First Gen students learn to become physicians. In this Perspective, we define the First Gen identity and review some of the salient First Gen literature as it applies to the medical school experience. We discuss the conception, design and execution of First Gen initiatives and program development at our medical school as a call to action and model for other institutions to create communities for their First Gen populations, focusing on inclusion and tailored support. We describe the framework through which we envisioned our programming for First Gen medical students, trainees, staff, and faculty at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Keywords

• first generation
• medical student
• medical school program
• underrepresented minority