Gabriela de Queiroz Campos, a first-year Yale medical student from Brazil, had a desire to help guide other Brazilian students interested in U.S. medical schools. To do so, she has joined forces with other international medical students at Yale to run F-1 Doctors, a mentorship platform for international pre-health students and current medical and dental students launched last year. The initiative seeks to improve the visibility of international students in U.S. medical schools, connect these students with mentors, and provide resources for international students applying to health professional schools. 

Although Yale’s international students can rely on assistance from the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS), Gabriela explains, “A lot of students don’t go to big schools with offices designed to help them. But these are incredible students who will bring so much to medical school and who otherwise might give up on becoming doctors in the U.S.”

In fact, international students account for fewer than 3% of applicants to U.S. medical schools and just .5% of enrollees. Less than one-third of U.S. medical schools (49 total) even accept international students. The F-1 Doctors program is designed to help students learn which schools accept international students, how to apply and interview, how to finance their education, and how to navigate visa requirements. At Yale School of Medicine, international students account for 17% of MD students, 32% of MPH students, and 31% of PhD students in the sciences. 

Read the full story at the Yale School of Medicine website.