Princeton pre-meds pursue careers in pediatrics and family medicine through new national fellowship
Princeton junior Grace Zhang (left) interned this past summer with Dr. Henry Bernstein (right) at Northwell Health/Cohen Children’s Medical Center as part of Princeton's new partnership with Coleman Family Ventures Fellowship in Pediatrics and Family Medicine.
As the United States faces a critical shortage of primary care and family medicine doctors, Princeton undergraduates are committing to help fill the gap. Princeton is among a select group of universities across the country partnering with the Coleman Family Ventures foundation to give pre-medical students a head start to becoming leaders in the much-needed fields.
Thirteen Princeton undergraduates in the Class of 2028 have received the inaugural Coleman Family Ventures (CFV) Fellowship in Pediatrics and Family Medicine. Princeton’s CFV fellowship provides significant stipends for medical internships, peer-to-peer support, mentorship from Princeton alumni doctors and medical students, and resources for professional development and research opportunities in pediatric and family medicine.
This past summer, Princeton CFV fellows interned at hospitals, community clinics and healthcare nonprofits across the United States, including the Charlottesville Free Clinic in Virginia, the Jicarilla Home Visiting Program in New Mexico led by Class of 1988 alumnus Dr. Yolandra Gomez, and the Division of Newborn Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“The CFV fellowship opens more doors to pediatrics and family medicine, allowing you to learn directly from physicians, engage with patients and see firsthand what a career in medicine can look like,” said Grace Zhang, a molecular biology major who interned with Dr. Henry Bernstein at Northwell Health/Cohen Children’s Medical Center on Long Island.
“As someone who didn't personally know any physicians before coming to Princeton, I cannot overstate how much the CFV community has meant to me,” said Evelyn Mahoney, a School of Public and International Affairs major who shadowed doctors with Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s street team during her internship this summer.
From physics to the pediatric ER
Roshan Natarajan is among the 13 Princeton students in the Class of 2028 to receive the inaugural Coleman Family Ventures Fellowship to help address the national shortage of primary care and family medicine doctors.
Roshan Natarajan, a physics major, hopes to pursue pediatric emergency medicine after interning at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Based in the emergency room, Natarajan served as a clinical research intern, collecting data for treatment studies on sickle cell disease and seizure disorders, among other topics.
“I chose pre-med only eight months ago and my CFV fellowship has really affirmed my path,” Natarajan said. “I’m really attracted to a career that combines research and patient care that directly impacts people’s lives. I could see every day how appreciative families were for the care they received at Children’s Hospital.”
Now back on campus, Natarajan is considering the next steps to pursuing pediatric medicine thanks to mentorship from Princeton alumni who traveled a similar path.
Through the Princeton CFV program, he was matched with Dr. Eduardo Contijoch, Class of 2012 and a fellow in pediatric gastroenterology at Stanford Medicine Children's Health, and Samuel Garfinkle, Class of 2019 and an M.D.-Ph.D. candidate at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The group talks candidly about their Princeton and medical school journeys via Zoom each month.
“Dr. Contijoch was also a physics major and he really has helped me see the intersections between physics and a future medical career,” said Natarajan, who is also training to become a member of the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad this semester.
Inspiring connections and change within communities
Princeton’s CFV partnership is overseen by the Office of the Dean of the College and is among the myriad academic, professional development and mentorship opportunities that Princeton offers to students pursuing careers in medicine and other health-related fields.
“I’ve been inspired by the Princeton pre-medical students I’ve worked with over the past 15 years, and how they want to create change and be leaders within their communities and fields of practice,” said Kate Fukawa-Connelly, director of Health Professions Advising. “The CFV Fellowship has given us more resources to create connections across generations that can facilitate innovation and leadership in pediatrics and family medicine.”
Meghana Bhupati, Class of 2026, is helping support the CFV experience for Princeton undergraduates as a Project 55 Alumni Corps Fellow. She plans to start medical school with a focus on pediatrics next year. “Family medicine is such an important field because of the continuity of care that you provide. You don’t just have one or two encounters with a patient; you can develop close relationships with children and families over the course of their lives.”
Starting their family medicine journeys with transformative summer internships
With support from the CFV fellowship, Princeton pre-med students may apply for internships through the Pace Center’s Princeton Internships in Civic Service and Princeton RISE (Recognizing Inequities and Standing for Equality) program, the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) Derian Summer Internships, and the Center for Career Development’s Summer Social Impact Fund.
The doctors Mahoney shadowed this summer from Boston Health Care for the Homeless provide direct care as part of the street team and also conduct research to strengthen public health resources for underserved populations nationwide. The internship showed how she could advance health equity by combining policy and practice.
“This experience gave me a much deeper determination to become a doctor because, for the first time in my life, I know exactly what type of doctor I want to be,” Mahoney said.
At Northwell Health/Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Zhang drew inspiration from Dr. Bernstein, who has more than 40 years of experience at urban, suburban and rural children’s hospitals. She observed in his clinic and contributed to his team’s research on practices to promote breastfeeding and ways to address vaccine hesitancy.
“Dr. Bernstein’s commitment to his patients, innovative spirit and enthusiasm for his work inspired me,” Zhang said. “I gained a much greater appreciation for how patient education, disease prevention and research work together to improve the health and well-being of children and their families.”
Sean Hession analyzes electronic medical records data to assess and improve quality of care at Cape Fear Clinic, located in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Sean Hession, a molecular biology major, strengthened his interest in family medicine while interning at a community health clinic in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina.
“The Cape Fear Clinic provides affordable healthcare to lower-income and uninsured patients — a mission I am deeply passionate about,” Hession said. “The most valuable thing I learned this summer that I will apply in medicine was the sacred responsibility that comes with being a physician. Patients seek guidance from their doctors, and place heavy weight on their opinions. It is crucial that doctors recognize this and stay professional and compassionate.”
Elizabeth Chen, a molecular biology major pursuing a certificate in global health and health policy, spent the summer learning from Dr. Gomez, who leads community health programs in Dulce, New Mexico, for fellow members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation.
Elizabeth Chen explains how to take an accurate blood pressure reading during a health education outreach event at the community center in Dulce, New Mexico.
“My summer internship with Dr. Gomez was transformative, strengthening my existing interest in pediatrics and sparking a strong interest in specializing in orthopedics and rural medicine,” Chen said. “I observed firsthand the unique challenges that come with primary care and rural medicine, while also developing a deep respect and love for the welcoming community.”
Chen and a handful of other Princeton CFV fellows also participate in Princeton’s Service Focus cohorts focused on community healthcare and on children and family health to extend their learning. Back on campus, Chen will continue to support projects aimed at improving the health and nutrition of young children in Dulce as part of the Service Focus and ProCES classroom-community partnership with Dr. Gomez.
“Because of my CFV fellowship experience, I hope to become the kind of physician who understands the humanistic aspects of medicine,” Chen said. “I aim to be sensitive to the historical and cultural background of my patients, and to build rapport in an authentic way.”
