Doctor for a Day
Doctor for a Day (DFAD) is a monthly themed academy that exposes K-12 youth to health careers through hands-on activities. DFAD partners with clinical departments, school districts and non-profits to hold workshops led by medical students as near peer mentors bringing healthcare professionals to K-12 youth to serve as mentors and role models. Thus far, DFAD has reached over 3,000 students and serves over 560 students per academic year.
About the Program
Open to all students, the purpose of Doctor for a Day is to inspire and encourage educationally and economically under resourced students to consider medicine or other healthcare careers. Run almost entirely by UW School of Medicine students, Doctor for a Day events are made up of hands-on stations such as teaching physical exam skills, patient interviewing techniques, and suturing.
This program is fundamental to showing K-12 students the vast array of careers that they can pursue. These students are the future and will change the face of medicine and the delivery of health care. Our focus on elementary, middle and high school students is critical to increasing educationally and economically under resourced students in health professions. Research shows that without intervention in elementary school, educationally and economically under resourced students may lose interest in science and math by their teens and discount their abilities in those subjects before finishing high school.
Early socialization and achievement experiences can have a substantial impact not only on the pursuit of STEM and health careers but on community health outcomes. A diverse health profession workforce leads to improvement in health care, access to providers and health facilities, and equitable health for all patients.
We envision a world that embraces the diversity of our communities and a diversity that is reflected in our healthcare providers. By ensuring educationally and economically under resourced students are exposed to health careers and supported throughout their path, we will have a profound impact on the number of health providers serving in underserved communities and conducting research to help eliminate health disparities and address social determinants of health that disproportionately affect educationally and economically under resourced communities.
Interested in Supporting DFAD?
Help inspire the next generation of healthcare leaders by donating to the Doctor for a Day Program at the UW School of Medicine. Your gift supports hands-on activities and educational events that introduce youth to careers in medicine.
Meet the Team
Staff Leadership
Joy Thurman-Nguyen
ManChui Leung
Jennifer Harris
Dan Olson
Leads
Bardia Ghazi
Emily Church
Ashlyn Nguyen
David Zhu
Research Coordinators
Briana Martin-Villa
Dorsa Torghani
Volunteer Coordinators
Safa Aynoor
Nahome Geleta
Tracy Ha
Social Media Coordinator
Jennifer Heng
Calendar
How do I register?
DFAD registration opens two weeks prior to each event date. Event registration links will be posted on our calendar page. Please refer to our calendar (linked above) to see upcoming events. RSVP is required to attend.
For quickest notification of event registration, please follow the DFAD Instagram (@uw_dfad).
Resources
All DFAD event attendees received a lanyard with a QR code. Please keep your lanyard for future events and an easy way of returning to this page. Want to continue your journey to becoming a future healthcare professional? Browse our resources page.
Research
Publications
Coler C, Patel K, Balatico A.J., Ro K, Villarreal J, Coronado N, Williams E. Doctor for a Day: The Impact of a Health Professions Enrichment Program on Self-Efficacy. Frontiers in Medicine. 2025;12. doi:10.3389/fmed.2025.1511405
Abstracts
Patel K, Coler C, Coronado N, Williams E. Increasing K-12 Underrepresented Students’ Self-Efficacy and Interest in Healthcare Careers. 2024 UW Teaching and Learning Symposium; 04/16/2024; Seattle, WA.
Posters
Bhuller M, Shao Y, Coler C, Jaengprajak P, Toghani D, Coronado N, Williams E. Empowering Future Female Physicians: Building Self-Efficacy and Belonging Among Underrepresented Girls Through Enrichment and Exposure. Poster presented at: Power of Women in Medicine Conference; 9/18/2025; Chicago, IL. Received the Top Poster Award.
Coler C, Patel K, Coronado N, Williams E. Increasing Self-Efficacy and Interest in Healthcare Careers Among Underrepresented K-12 Students Through Enrichment Programs. Poster presented at: 2025 WGEA/WGSA/WOSR Regional Conference; 5/2/2025; Portland, OR.
Coler C, Bhuller M, Toghani D, Shao Y, Jaengprajak P, Coronado N, Williams E. Enhancing Diversity in Healthcare Through Enrichment and Exposure. Poster presented at: Washington Academy of Family Physicians Poster Symposium; 4/25/2025; Stevenson, WA. Received the Top Poster Award.
Patel K, Coler C, Coronado N, Williams E. Health Science Outreach Programs Inspire and Encourage Underrepresented Minority Youth to Pursue Careers in Healthcare. Poster presented at OHSU Symposium on Educational Excellence; 05/17/2024; Portland, OR. Received the Top Poster Award.
Coler C, Patel K, Hernandez AS, Alzeir O, et al. Barriers to Healthcare Professions Among Latine Students Who Attend Doctor for a Day Events. Poster presented at: The 18th Annual Latino Health Forum; 11/15/2023; Seattle, WA.
Presentations
Oral Presentation, Doctor for a Day: Leveraging Identity-Based Affinity Group Conferences to Engage Local Underrepresented Students, Latino Surgical Society Symposium, 5/2025 (in-person) Alejandra Silva Hernández, MPH
Oral Presentation, Developing an Ecosystem that Supports the Education of Future Healthcare Providers, University of Washington Learning Towards Justice Symposium, 2/2025 (in-person).
Oral Presentation, Increasing Self-Efficacy and Interest in Healthcare Careers among Native Youth through Doctor for a Day Workshops, AI/AN Healthcare Workforce Development Summit; 5/2024 (virtual)
