Medical students at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine are beginning four-year mentoring relationships with Oyler School students.

Medical students gathered at the school in Lower Price Hill on the evening of Oct. 12 to meet the young people they will mentor for the next four years. At the UC Med Mentors match event, 39 mentees were matched with 77 medical student mentors.

The evening was a fun introduction to the program for mentees and their families. Everyone took part in icebreakers and games, and the Bearcat even stopped by to join the celebration. Mentees and mentors then met for the first time.

Families also met their child's mentors to build relationships and set expectations for the years ahead. During the next four years, each mentee and their mentors will meet about twice a month.

"I love Med Mentors because I firmly believe that the most impactful things start small and take time," said Elizabeth "Ellie" Marhefka, a second-year medical student and co-president of UC Med Mentors. "Our med students get to build relationships with their mentee over four years and empower them as they grow and face new challenges. Through this program, med students get to open their eyes to the needs of the youth in Cincinnati and have the honor of being one more person in their corner who will consistently show up for them."

Marhefka co-leads UC Med Mentors with fellow co-presidents Abby Roy and Courtney May, also UC medical students.

A growing partnership with Oyler School

UC Med Mentors began its partnership with Oyler last year, and the partnership focuses on the school's elementary students. Mentees join in fifth or sixth grade. The program also partners with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC), a United Way agency affiliate, which identifies students who would benefit from mentoring and provides mentor training.

Each month, the program plans group outings such as trips to the Cincinnati Zoo, Kings Island and Reds games. The next group outing will be laser tag. Mentors and mentees also spend time together on their own, whether working on homework, going out to dinner to celebrate a goal, exercising or cooking a healthy meal.

More than two decades of mentoring

UC Med Mentors was founded in 2001 by Wan C. Lim, PhD, a professor emeritus of anatomy. Today, it is a nonprofit youth mentoring organization and one of the College of Medicine's largest medical student organizations. Charles Cavallo, MD, a College of Medicine alum and practicing pediatrician, serves as president of the UC Med Mentors Advisory Board.

Each year, the program also awards laptops to mentees to support their education, a tradition celebrated at an annual ceremony.

The program's impact extends to both sides of each match. Mentees have shown higher school attendance, improved behavior, better school performance and higher high school graduation rates. Medical students also grow through the experience. Surveys taken before and after mentoring show gains in their cultural humility, an important skill for future physicians.

Featured image at top: UC College of Medicine students gather at Oyler School to welcome 39 new mentees to UC Med Mentors. Photo/Abby Roy.

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