Stanford × Latin America

Building
Physician-Scientists
in the Americas

Connecting Stanford graduate and medical students with Latin American peers to bridge the mentorship gap in global health research.

Join the Network Learn more →
2–5×
U.S.-based mentors
in the pilot cohort
10+
Latin American medical
students in the pilot
3
Structured phases across
2025–2026 academic year

Why we exist

Closing the
mentorship gap

Many Latin American medical students are eager to contribute to global health research—but they lack access to mentors, institutional support, and international networks that students at research-intensive universities take for granted.

This gap perpetuates disparities in scientific participation and limits the development of physician-scientists who can drive evidence-based innovation in low- and middle-income countries.

MedBridge creates structured connections between U.S.-based researchers — beginning with Stanford — and Latin American medical students, promoting knowledge equity, cross-cultural collaboration, and capacity-building in global medical education.

The Program

Three phases,
one lasting network

01

Autumn 2025

Foundation

  • Survey Colombian and Stanford students to identify mentorship gaps
  • Recruit mentors from Stanford faculty, postdocs, and residents
  • Partner with Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health
  • Formalize institutional relationships with Colombian universities
02

Winter 2026

Pilot Program

  • Match mentors and mentees based on research interests
  • Host virtual orientation on research collaboration
  • Each mentee completes one project focus: literature review, proposal drafting, or skill-building
  • Digital platform facilitates matching and feedback
03

Spring 2026

Reflect & Scale

  • Evaluate via feedback surveys and qualitative interviews
  • Publish bilingual "Mentorship Playbook" with best practices
  • Collect data on engagement, satisfaction, and skill development
  • Prepare scaling proposal for partner universities across Latin America

Get Involved

We're looking for
people like you

🔬

Research Mentors

Stanford MD, PhD, or master's students with research experience. You'll guide a Latin American mentee through a focused project or skill-development goal, meeting virtually throughout winter quarter.

🌎

Latin American Mentees

Medical students in Colombia and across Latin America eager to develop research skills and connect with international academic networks. No prior research experience required.

🏛️

Program Team Members

Scholars with backgrounds in global health, education design, or cross-cultural program development. Help build the infrastructure, platform, and playbook that powers MedBridge.

🤝

Institutional Partners

Universities, global health centers, and research institutes in the Americas interested in co-designing or scaling this mentorship model across the region.

Our Story

Born from
experience

MedBridge grew from a personal journey. As a Colombian medical student, our founder experienced the transformative power of research mentorship — and saw clearly how unequally that opportunity is distributed.

"Mentorship changed the trajectory of my career. I want to make that possible for students across Latin America."

By leveraging Stanford's world-class research community, MedBridge aims to democratize access to mentorship and build long-term academic partnerships that empower the next generation of medical researchers in the Americas.

Spring 2026 Goals

01
A functioning mentorship network connecting 2–5 U.S. mentors with 10 Latin American medical students
02
A digital platform for mentor–mentee matching, communication, and structured feedback
03
The "Mentorship Playbook" — a bilingual guide capturing best practices from the pilot
04
Preliminary evaluation data on engagement, satisfaction, and skill development to guide scaling

Ready to bridge the gap?

Join MedBridge today

Whether you're a mentor, a mentee, or a builder — there's a place for you in this network.

Get in Touch