Diversifying the field: Morehouse medical students score promising opportunities with NFL

Three Morehouse School of Medicine students have been selected to participate in the freshmen class of the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative, a program that uses mentorship and hands on training to advocate for diversity and inclusion within sports medicine.

Rick Osentoski / Associated Press

As the son of a nurse, Paolo Gilleran knew since childhood that his future would involve medicine.

However, it was not until a family medical emergency that Gilleran knew that he wanted to have a hand in changing the way that medicine was done.

“My grandmother immigrated with me to the United States from the Philippines and along the way, she developed kidney disease because of untreated diabetes,” he said. “Finding dialysis in Georgia for an immigrant is hard because she was uninsured … we had to move her to the New Jersey, New York area where they had a program that provided free dialysis. It was that experience of trying to navigate a very convoluted healthcare field that really pushed me towards trying to help others to get the care that they need.”