A Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) student has earned national recognition as an emerging leader among future family medicine doctors. Now he hopes to turn his success into more equitable health care for people in marginalized communities.
Jose Beltran (Class of 2026) is one of 30 medical students nationwide selected to participate in the American Academy of Family Physicians Emerging Leaders Institute. The one-year program aims to grow the family medicine specialty and provide student scholars with valuable leadership experience.
“As a future doctor, I am excited to provide direct health care to patients, but I also have the possibility of expanding health care delivery outside of the patient room,” Beltran said. “In 10 years, I hope that I am more than just a ‘doctor’ but that I am a community leader,”
As part of the Emerging Leaders Institute, Beltran will develop and complete a project focusing on Philanthropic and Mission-Driven Leadership. He hopes to leverage his experiences and his background in public health to advance care in underserved communities.
“I chose to apply to this track because I have had a vision of starting or running my own low-income clinic or potentially operating a practice that does not operate under the normal health care business model that unfortunately leaves many people marginalized,” Beltran said. “I want to ensure that my project is not just an idea on paper, but something that can be implemented in Urbana-Champaign.”
Beltran will work with his family practice mentor, Dr. Sirisha Yellayi of Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, to develop a broad-based project that will impact access to care and patient outcomes within the community. He also hopes to make connections with other health care leaders who share his commitment to improved access to care for low-resource communities.
The Emerging Leaders Institute projects will be evaluated at the end of the one-year program, and select recipients will be awarded an additional $1,000. Winning projects will also be presented at the 2024 AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. One project from each of the three tracks will receive the Best Leadership Project Award and an additional $3,000 prize.
Beltran has been active in several student interest groups at CI MED, including Campaña de Salud, serving as co-leader of the annual Hispanic Heritage Month Health Fair. He’s also active in CIM3D: 3D Printing for Medicine, the Latino Medical Student Association, the Student National Medical Association, the independent student-run Avicenna Clinic, and he competed in the 2023 Cozad New Venture Challenge.
Before coming to CI MED, Beltran earned a master’s degree in public health from Charles Drew University, concentrating on Urban Health and Justice.