Fourth-year Student Receives 2021 STFM Foundation Scholarship

Karol Serafin, a fourth-year medical student, has received a 2021 STFM Foundation Student Scholarship from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM).

This highly competitive scholarship is awarded to some of the best and brightest medical students from across the country. In addition to recognizing a strong commitment to academic family medicine through scholastic, volunteer and leadership pursuits, this award acknowledges the recipient’s strong potential for a career in academic medicine. Only 35 awards were given for 2021.

All scholarship recipients receive free registration to attend the virtual 2021 STFM Conference on Medical Student Education scheduled for February, 2021 and will have the opportunity to present their posters. Ms. Serafin plans to present “Supporting breastfeeding in late preterm infants: null results and next steps of a hospital-based intervention.”

Born and raised in Durham, NC, to Mexican immigrants, Ms. Serafin did not become interested in medicine until college at North Carolina Central University, a historically Black university, where she found numerous mentors and friends that encouraged and supported her through the application process. In medical school, she became involved in the Latino Medical Student Association and worked to distribute information on preventative care and screening. “From there, I became passionate about addressing social determinants of health, addressing health inequities and social justice through the field of family medicine,” she said.

“The 2021 Medical Student Education Steering Committee congratulates both Karol Serafin and Boston University School of Medicine on this award,” said Kristen Hood Watson, MD, chair of the 2021 STFM Conference on Medical Student Education.

STFM is a national community of academic leaders committed to developing a family medicine workforce prepared to serve as the foundation of America’s health care system. STFM members include physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, behavioral health specialists, researchers, nurses, health system executives, administrators, fellows, residents, students, and others involved in the education of family physicians.