Two wheels, a handlebar, and a team

Twelve bicycles were built for local children as part of a team-building event for Yale School of Medicine’s First Generation/Low Income (FGLI) Longitudinal Mentorship Program. A dozen faculty members, fellows, and students gathered in Harkness Ballroom, pulled the kits and tools out of boxes, and got to work.

The room filled with laughter as small groups collaborated, puzzled over the instructions—joking that assembling the bicycles was more complex than surgery—and shared helpful tips with neighboring teams.

As a final step, members of the Connecticut Inspector General's Office were on hand to check the new bikes for safety. New Haven Police Department community officers will distribute the bicycles and helmets to children in need of bicycles in their districts.

The event was organized by Jaime Cavallo, MD, MPHS, associate professor of urology, and Magna Dias, MD, professor of pediatrics, whose years of dedication to the FGLI community led to the creation of YSM’s FGLI Longitudinal Mentorship Program in September 2023. Mentor “pods” consist of faculty members, residents/fellows, and medical students from different disciplines. Related resources for YSM students include the YFLI student engagement group, and the FGLI Student Orientation (open to all students) that launched in August 2024.