MBA, FSIR, FSVM, donated in 2021, and SIR Foundation matched his gift.
The program is intended for first- generation U.S. medical students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, the LGBTQ+ community, a socioeconomically disadvantaged background, or identify as female or nonbinary. There are two application cycles per academic year, in February and June.
Initially, the aim of the GEMS program was to fund visiting clerkship rotations for eligible third- and fourth-year medical students. Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, the visiting clerkships were postponed starting in 2020, which led to the development of the virtual curriculum. Held each fall, the 8-week virtual curriculum provides medical students with an opportunity for in-depth exploration of IR, from radiation safety to artificial intelligence. The curriculum emphasizes health equity, developing early mentoring relationships with GEMS mentors and broadening the professional network of recipients. In 2022, the curriculum also included journal clubs, group presentations and a focus on various practice types and areas of specialty. Moving forward, both visiting clerkships and virtual curriculum will remain fixtures of the GEMS Program.
All GEMS recipients receive a stipend to ease the financial burden of education-related expenses, as well as complimentary registration and a travel scholarship to attend the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting where they are highlighted at SIR Foundation’s award ceremony.
GEMS by the numbers GEMS has grown since its 2019 launch, from three initial grants to 10 accepted applicants in each of the 2020 and 2021 application cycles. Out of 56 total applicants from 2019–2021, 23 (41%) were awarded a grant. With 96% of recipients identifying as nonwhite and 4.3% identifying as LGBTQ+, the GEMS program has reached racial and ethnic minorities in its applicant pool, but program developers believe there is
room for further outreach to nonbinary and other LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as individuals with disabilities.
Since the start of the GEMS Program, the applicant pool has consisted of 23.2% Black or African American individuals (13), 21.4% Hispanic or Latino individuals (12), 19.6% Asian individuals (11), 19.6% other/mixed race individuals
Table 1. Race breakdown by year and total Recipients
Hispanic of Latino White or Caucasian
Black or African American Asian
Other/Mixed Total
2019 1
0 1
0 1
3
Table 2. Gender breakdown by year and total Recipients Male
2019 1
Female
Non-binary Total
2
0 3
(11), and 16.1% white or Caucasian individuals (9). The total 23 recipients by race comprised of eight Black or African Americans (35%), six Hispanic or Latino (26%), three Asian (13%), one white or Caucasian (4%), and five other or mixed race (22%). Over the course of 3 years, Black or African Americans have had the largest increase in applications with a
2020 3 1
2 2 2
10
2020 5 4 1
10
2021 2
0 5 1
2 10
2021 5 5 0
10
Table 3. Veteran and disability status of applicants and recipients Applied 6 0
Veteran Disabled
Awarded 5 0
Total 6 1
8 3 5
23
Total 11 11 1
23
GEMS recipients by gender
GEMS recipients by race
48% Male 4% Non-binary
48% Female
4% White of Caucasian 13% Asian 22% Other/mixed race 26% Hispanic or Latino 35% Black or African-American
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