Mentorship has always been a key tenet of the Bluff City Medical Society from the organization’s inception.
Project STAR and Project REZ
In fall 2021, the organization secured grant funding from UTHSC to formalize its mentorship program to further support medical students, residents, and fellows developing Project STAR (Student Advancement and Retention) and Project REZ (Resident Empowerment Zone). Both programs had a primary focus on racioethnic underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students, residents, and fellows. Each mentee was paired with a physician for a longitudinal relationship throughout the duration of their medical school, residency, or fellowship tenure. The mentors and mentees established personalized goals for each mentee. Other components of Project STAR and Project REZ included networking, professional development, and community service. The programs also included learning modules and panel discussions to develop key skills necessary for success and resiliency including time management, study skills, mental health and well-being, professionalism, racism and bias, financial literacy, and career counseling. The Project STAR mentees were students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Lincoln Memorial University College of Medicine. The Project REZ mentees were post-graduate trainees from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The grant funding period from UTHSC completed Spring 2023.
BCMS Mentorship Program for Students and Post Graduate Trainees
Bluff City Medical Society continues to support mentorship of medical students, residents and fellows through structured programming. Sign-ups are offered each academic year. The goal for the mentorship program is to increase the number of successful students and postgraduate trainees within our city and promote their success within their respective academic programs, ultimately contributing to a workforce of underrepresented physicians committed to serving the citizens of Memphis, Tennessee, the nation, and the world.
Project Administrators:
LaTonya B. Washington, MD, MBA, Assistant Professor of Medicine UTHSC, Immediate past President of BCMS, Bluff City Medical Society Foundation Chairperson of the Board
Cyrilyn Walters, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Crystal Pourciau, MD, MPH, FAAD, Assistant Professor, Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics
Former Project Administrator:
Christopher D. Jackson, MD, FSSCI
