ElevateMeD Awards Third-Year Student with Scholarship

Marcus Childs, a third-year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, was awarded a scholarship from the ElevateMeD Scholars Program.

The ElevateMeD Scholars Program was founded in 2019 to assist medical students who come from underrepresented backgrounds in medicine. This year 20 students in their third- or fourth-year of medical school were selected  to receive $10,000 for each remaining year.

In addition to a scholarship, the program provides resources for each student — such as leadership training, mentoring and debt management education. Childs joins Abigail Solorio as the first of two students from the college to win this scholarship.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Childs grew up in a low socioeconomic environment, where he sometimes didn’t have access to health care at a young age due to financial issues.

“As a kid, you don’t have that concept of money and how it works yet,” Childs said. “As I progressed through high school, I could see myself doing medicine and being a doctor.”

Based on his background, Childs’ path to medicine came with many obstacles to overcome. He saw how marginalized populations — like the one he is from — don’t have the same access to benefits other people get.

“When I went to college and started rotating and working in different clinics, I started working with refugees who had a way harder upbringing than I had,” Childs said. “I was like, ‘You’re the people that live in my community, and I want to help you.’”

These experiences led Childs to medical school, and he carried with him aspirations of practicing primary care with diverse populations — people of color, low-income, people with substance use disorders and LGBTQ+.

“Those are all populations where I come from,” Childs said. “Those are all patients that are often stigmatized, under-treated and under-cared for in so many ways.”

Before applying for the ElevateMeD scholarship, Childs researched the organization, so he could learn what it wanted to represent. After learning the organization is managed by Black physicians who want to provide support for other people of color and make the medical field diverse, Childs applied for the scholarship.

When he received word that he’d be one of the recipients of the scholarship, Childs said he felt a tremendous amount of relief; for the last several months, he had been doubting himself and questioning if he was on the right path.

“It’s very clear that this is a true investment, and this is a true move of empowerment,” Childs said. “If other people believe in you to this extent — that they’re willing to give you this much money — that means you are meant to be here.”

Childs credits his loved ones for always building him up and supporting him throughout his journey through medical school.

“People who come from my background don’t get to where I’m at on their own,” Childs said. “It takes a village of people that you find over time who believe in you … it’s just a conglomerate of community effort.”

In the future, Childs said he hopes to be working in family medicine or internal medicine with patients who come from similar backgrounds as him, whether they are lower-income, people of color or LGBTQ+.

“Hopefully, if I get my way, I’ll be working at a Qualified Health Center,” Childs said. “You just get to see a lot more diverse patient populations without financial burden being such a seasonal obstacle between you and your patients.”