Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41989780›Full record

ArticleJAMA network open2026

Match Rates for a Surgical Mentorship Program for Underrepresented Learners.

Ben Li, David-Dan Nguyen, Sheharzad Mahmood, Armaghan Alam, Armaan K Malhotra, Betel Yibrehu, Kennedy Ayoo, Najma Ahmed, Andrea Covelli, Savtaj Brar and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JAMA network open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Ben LiThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
David-Dan NguyenThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sheharzad MahmoodThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Armaghan AlamThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Armaan K MalhotraThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Betel YibrehuThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Kennedy AyooThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Najma AhmedThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Andrea CovelliThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Savtaj BrarThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Adom Bondzi-SimpsonThe UpSurge Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
UpSurge Research Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Importance: Students from underrepresented groups (ie, underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population) face substantial challenges in pursuing surgical careers. Equitable access to inclusive mentorship may help address these challenges; however, the surgical residency match outcomes of participants in dedicated surgical mentorship programs for underrepresented learners are not well described. Objective: To report the 3-year outcomes of UpSurge, a surgical mentorship program for underrepresented learners in Canada. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a quality improvement study using retrospective mentorship program data on underrepresented learners who participated in the University of Toronto's UpSurge program between 2022 and 2025. Exposure: UpSurge paired medical students with surgical faculty, fellows, and residents; hosted educational workshops; and provided merit-based scholarships for underrepresented learners. Main Outcomes and Measures: Residency match information, including specialty/location, was obtained from mentees through self-report as well as through publicly available residency program websites and social media platforms. Results: Overall, 235 mentees (175 [74%] Canadian medical students and 60 [26%] international medical students/graduates) participated in UpSurge between 2022 and 2025. All mentees who participated in UpSurge self-identified as underrepresented. Mentees were not asked to provide information about the specific underrepresented group with which they self-identified, and therefore, this information was not reported in this study. Canadian medical students came from 14 of the 18 medical schools across the country. International medical students and graduates attended medical schools in 30 countries across 11 geographic regions, including Western Europe (25%), the Caribbean (18%), the Middle East (10%), South Asia (10%), and North Africa (10%). There were 225 mentors from 11 surgical disciplines, representing all Canadian direct-entry surgical specialties. Of the 175 Canadian medical students who participated in UpSurge, 52 (30%) were eligible to be residents at the time of this analysis (November 2025). Overall, 30 of 52 (57.7%) students matched to surgical disciplines, with the top specialties being general surgery (19 of 30 [63%]), plastic surgery (4 of 30 [13%]), and obstetrics and gynecology (2 of 30 [7%]). There were 16 scholarship recipients between 2023 and 2025 from 5 medical schools across Canada. Fourteen (88%) matched to surgical disciplines, with the top specialties being general surgery (4 [25%]), plastic surgery (4 [25%]), and urology (3 [19%]). Conclusions and Relevance: Results of this study suggest that continued investment into large and diverse mentorship programs with high surgical residency match rates, such as UpSurge, may help improve surgical workforce diversity.

Indexed as

General SurgeryInternship and ResidencyMentorsMinority GroupsStudents, MedicalCanadaCareer ChoiceFemaleForeign Medical GraduatesHumansRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID41989780
PMCPMC13087815

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.