Pre-Health Student Spotlight: Dodlee Mosilme

This Summer 2022, Dodlee Mosilme, a first-year Biological Sciences student, was the first FAU participant to join the 2022 Yale Summer Enrichment Medical Academy (YSEMA) in New Haven, Connecticut.

The program is designed for students who aspire to have a future career in medicine who self-identify as being underrepresented in science and medicine and are interested in obtaining an M.D., M.D./Ph.D. or biomedical Ph.D. degree.

From June 11 to July 23, students participated in an intensive science curriculum, which aims to improve success in upper-division science courses required for pre-med students. Mosilme studied chemistry and biology on campus, attended pre-health workshops and networked with Yale medical students and doctors.

“I am honored that I had the distinctive opportunity to be a student at YSEMA,” Mosilme said. “My overall experience was enriching and enjoyable. In fact, just taking walks along the ivy-covered stone walls was an inspiring experience by itself! Because of their workshops and courses, I can certainly say that my confidence in the medical school application process has grown substantially.”

In 2017, the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) launched the immersive summer academy and has since expanded the 6-week program to include several universities from around the country who typically serve Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, such as Florida Atlantic University.

“My favorite part was the unique privilege to be surrounded by bright-minded students within this program,” Mosilme said. “I felt fortunate to be part of a company filled with diverse, intelligent and driven students. Their determination to solve issues in our world and communities was remarkably inspiring.”

The first-generation student was also able to forge valuable mentorships among the university’s faculty, notably Linda Jackson, director of the Yale School of Medicine Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement, and Equity, and Dr. Darin Latimor, Yale School of Medicine’s first deputy dean for diversity and inclusion and its first chief diversity officer.

Earlier this spring, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Sciences’ Pre-Health Professions and Continuing Education leadership team attended the PATHS-First Look Immersion Program conference at YSM in New Haven. The program connects pre-medical and science students from minority-serving institutions and local colleges with advisors who can provide information about Yale’s M.D. and M.D./Ph.D. programs.

“Participating in YSEMA opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me,” Mosilme explained. “It chased me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to explore new possibilities. I also want to encourage current FAU students to make use of the resources and opportunities that FAU’s Pre-Health program provides and develop a strong network with the  Pre-Health Office.”