Diversity in healthcare is good for physicians and patients alike

Last month, I fulfilled my life’s greatest dream: I walked across the stage at Harvard Medical School, before the beaming smiles and proud cheers of my loved ones, to complete my two-decade-long journey to become Dr. Nolen. I am the first doctor in my family, an accomplishment I know will have an impact on my community, family, and future patients for years to come. Since I was eight years old, I dreamed of becoming a doctor, but as a Black woman and first-generation student in medicine, I was concerned: The medical school admissions process has been shown to leave students like me on the margins. I sought out pipeline programs like the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) and the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) to find mentorship, community, and financial support. Programs like these have assisted thousands of students like me who otherwise wouldn’t have had access to the socially and financially exclusive field of medicine. These programs keep students’ dream

News Home / News Latest News Hybrid MPH in Epidemiology program builds skills, community July 14, 2026 Stay connected with Harvard Chan School The latest public health news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our newsletters Featured Stories In the Media Simple steps for improving indoor air quality July 22, 2026 In the Media When it’s really hot, mental health can suffer Mental Health July 13, 2026 Class of 2026 Read more Class of 2026 student stories Tracking malaria in Central America Infectious Diseases June 4, 2026 DrPH graduate focuses on digital innovation for diabetes preventio

related reading

• Progress in Medicine: A high school summer career exploration programrootsofprogress.org
• Through Their Eyes: Helping pediatric patients tell their storiesknight-hennessy.stanford.edu
• Is an MD/PhD program right for me? Advice on becoming a physician–scientistncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• JCI Insight - The national MD-PhD program outcomes study: Relationships between medical specialty, training duration, research effort, and career pathsinsight.jci.org
• The End of the English Major | The New Yorkernewyorker.com
• Healthcaring Differently urges students from diverse backgrounds to consider medical professions | Temerty Faculty of Medicinetemertymedicine.utoronto.ca
• Home | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Healthhsph.harvard.edu
• "You want to look at vaginas all day?!"hercampus.com
• HLI Home Page - Hansen Leadership Institutehansenleadershipinstitute.org
• Global Health Corps: A Next Gen Leadership Acceleratorghcorps.org
• Ophelia Dahl’s National Health Service | The New Yorkernewyorker.com
• It's called "physician entrepreneur" for a reasonlinkedin.com