History

Who created Premed of Color and why?

Quetzalsol "sOL" F. Chacon-Lopez MD, MPH Premed of Color Founder UCSF-Fresno Emergency Medicine Resident 2007- Present Stanford School of Medicine, MD 2001-2007 Harvard School of Public Health, MPH 2005-2006 NIH Academy Fellow 2000-2001 University of Washington, BS Psychology 1995-2000 Summer Medical Education Program 1999- University of Washington School of Medicine

The Premed of Color community was created in 1999 with the sole purpose of eliminating health disparities by creating future physicians of color. Sol wanted to create a web resource that leveled the playing field for minority students who wanted to become physicians. As an undergraduate he felt as if there was no real resource out there that he could relate to. This web resource is thus dedicated to all under represented minorities in medicine or Premeds of Color.

This site is not meant to recruit for specific institutions but to provide information that all Premeds of Color can use.

History

Premed of Color was first founded as the Minority Outreach Participation Program in 1999 by two undergraduate premedical students, Quetzalsol F. Chacon-Lopez and Marilyn Contreras-Pinegar. They both came up with the Premed of Color concept while attending the Medical Minority Education Program (now called the Summer Medical Education Program) at the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM). They both noticed that most of the premedical students that attended the program were involved in great projects and had tapped different resources to guide them through their premedical careers. They also noticed that many students did not have all the information they needed to help guide them down their premedical path. In response to this they decided to create a web resource that drew contributions from every student in the program into an online resource for all premedical students of color.

A plan was devised and a proposal was written which outlined the web-based resource. With help from the Office of Multicultural Affairs at UWSOM the web project was initiated. This community network approach has proved successful in creating a premedical web resource by Premeds of Color for premeds of color.

Since 1999 the site has received contributions from students and programs all over the nation.

In October of 2003 a new name was created which better described the organization, Premed of Color. The new site was launched Jan. 31, 2004. The launching coincided with the 13th annual SUMMA conference held at Stanford University School of Medicine.