Medical Student Mentorship for Undergraduate Students Underrepresented in Medicine Improves Confidence and Knowledge About Medical School Application.

Purpose Applying to medical school is accompanied by significant barriers to prospective applicants. Students who are underrepresented in medicine (URiM) may face additional barriers. We created a mentorship program to pair pre-medical URiM students with medical student mentors. The purpose of this study was to determine if providing mentorship and resources to URiM pre-medical students increased their knowledge and confidence regarding the medical school application process. Method A survey was emailed to mentees of the program to assess their knowledge and confidence about the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and medical school application before and after receiving mentorship. Wilcoxon-Signed-Rank tests were used for data analysis. Results A total of 28 participants completed the pilot study of which 17 gave qualitative feedback. Students reported feeling significantly more knowledgeable and confident after six months of enrollment on seven (77.8%) of the survey items. Respondents agreed that mentorship was the most valuable aspect of the program, with 13 (76.5%) respondents qualitatively endorsing the positive impact mentorship imparted to them. Conclusion Having a medical student mentor helped URiM pre-medical students feel more knowledgeable and confident about the medical school application process. By providing URiM students with additional resources, the diversity of future classes of physicians may improve and better mirror the populations they will serve.

ALSUntangled #73: Lion's Mane.

Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) has historically been used as traditional medicine in Asia and Europe for its potential benefits in fighting infection and cancer. It has gained interest in the neurodegenerative disease field because of its mechanisms of action; these include anti-inflammation, neuroprotection, and promoting neurite growth demonstrated in various cell and animal models. A very small, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with mild cognitive impairment showed a temporary improvement in cognitive function; this finding has yet to be replicated. However, there have been no studies in ALS cell or animal models or in humans with ALS. Lion's Mane appears safe and inexpensive when consumed in powder or capsule, but one anaphylactic case was reported after a patient consumed fresh Lion's Mane mushroom. Currently, we do not have enough information to support the use of Lion's Mane for treating ALS. We support further research in ALS disease models and clinical trials to study its efficacy.