Stanford Medicine 1st Generation Mentorship Program

The 1st Generation Mentorship Program is a community of Stanford Medicine students, faculty, alumni, and staff. Many are either the first in their family to attend college, graduate, or professional school and/or are the first in their families born in the United States. Our goal is to provide first-generation students with broadened academic and professional networking opportunities and advocacy through continued mentorship.

"As a first generation student, it is difficult to navigate higher education. I wanted to have a mentor that was first generation or was interested in helping first generation students like myself navigate the system".

On This Page

1st Spotlight

Our 1st Gen Spotlight is on Dr. Arturo Molina!

Dr. Molina has been an active member of the 1st Generation Mentorship Program since its' inception in 2015!

Dr. Molina is Chief Medical Officer at Protagonist Therapeutics where he oversees the phase 3 clinical investigation of rusfertide, a hepcidin peptide mimetic for treatment of polycythemia vera.  Dr. Molina was recently on the Board of Directors of Forma Therapeutics, which was acquired by Novo Nordisk in October 2022.   From 2016-2022, he was Chief Medical Officer at Sutro Biopharma.  In that capacity he oversaw the transition of development candidates through the IND process and phase 1 clinical trials.  Previously, he was Vice President, Oncology Scientific Innovation at Janssen R & D (Johnson and Johnson, JNJ).  While at JNJ he was responsible for the clinical development and New Drug Application for abiraterone (Zytiga®), which is now approved for metastatic prostate cancer in more than 100 countries.  He was Chief Medical Officer/EVP at Cougar Biotechnology, which was acquired by JNJ in 2009.  Arturo also worked at IDEC, then Biogen-IDEC, ultimately becoming Head, Oncology Clinical Development.  In collaboration with Genentech, he led the clinical Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) filing activities resulting in FDA approval of Rituxan® in two first-line indications in 2006: follicular lymphoma and diffuse B-cell lymphoma. 

From 1991-2002, Dr. Molina was a faculty physician in Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplantation and Medical Oncology/Therapeutics Research at the City of Hope (COH) Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he became an Adjunct Professor, member of the COH Medical Group Board of Directors and President-Elect of the COH Medical Staff.  Arturo received his MD and MS (Physiology) from Stanford University, and completed residency in Internal Medicine and fellowships in Medical Oncology, Biological Science, and Bone Marrow Transplantation, all at Stanford. Arturo was an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin where he received a BS in Zoology (Honors) and BA in Psychology (High Honors).

 

Zoom Backgrounds

  • If you would like to download some cool 1st Gen Zoom backgrounds created by Gabriela Valazquez, click here!


Mentor Program

Our Mentors are the backbone of the 1st Generation Mentorship Program. Below is an evolving and growing list of our 1st Gen Mentors. They have been sorted according to their mentoring interests. Please read below for more information.

"This program is absolutely incredible! This is a community explicitly for first generation graduate/medical students. I think this is critical because we go through specific hardships that some other groups might not experience exactly as we do, and it is great to have the support of people who understand"

"I like that the program tries to match you to a mentor that can support your career goals. I also liked that there were workshops and seminars for those involved in this program. These types of events gave me a sense of community at Stanford, in addition to having the support from a mentor"

"I had a really rough time in my winter rotation, and my mentor has been very useful in helping me choose my rotation labs. He met with me during winter to talk about how to deal with my situation and what to do for my spring rotation. It has been amazing to have his perspective because he has mentored a lot of students."


Become a Mentor

Many successful professionals have had, early on, one or more mentors who made a big difference in helping them achieve early success. Our graduate students, and especially those who are first generation, will benefit greatly from expert guidance throughout their academic journey.

Being a mentor has its benefits. First, sharing your passions, you can help to set the tone for students entering their professional careers. Mentors learn things about themselves as well; their career benefits, and, when thinking about the impact on someone else’s life, mentors feel like they are doing something that matters deeply and personally.

Pay it forward. Bridge the generation gap. Become a mentor.

(Please note that, while we greatly value our mentor community, not all mentors will be matched directly with a student. We need a diverse pool of mentors so that they best suit the needs of our mentees).

Become a Mentor! Fill out our New Member Form.

Events

Black History Month Social

February 22, 2023 11:30am-1:30pm
DCORE | Lane Library | 300 Pasteur Drive, Room L003

Please join us for community, food, and conversation.

This event is open to the 1st Gen community.

Please RSVP.

Women's History Month: Movie Night

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8:00pm
Century Shoreline Mountain View
1500 N Shoreline Blvd | Mountain View, CA

Please join us for a night of community and HERstory! We will enjoy the award-winning movie Everything Everywhere All at Once starring (the incomparable) Michelle Yeoh.

This event is open to the 1st Gen and FLI@Stanford community.

Please RSVP.

In the Community

BrightCrowd 1st Gen Community Book

Are you a current 1st Gen Member? 

The 1st Generation Mentorship Program offers its members an opportunity to participate in our 1st Gen Community Book. This provides our Mentors and Mentees a place to look for other community members. Contact 1st Gen Committee member Anthony Lee to join.

Meet FLI

The Stanford FLI Office (First Generation and/or Low-Income Office) is a hub for first-generation graduate students. They know that many of the challenges that FLI students face do not simply disappear after college and are there for you.

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In the News

NCORE 2023 | May 30-June 3, 2023 | New Orleans, LA

The 35th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education will return to the Big Easy! Get ready for five days of amazing conference sessions, networking, community outreach, and fun. Experience all things NOLA while expanding your mind during NCORE sessions.

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