Mellon College of Science alumni Susheel Khetarpal and Alex Pomerantz were recognized with Carnegie Mellon University’s Outstanding Recent Alumni Award. The awards recognize alumni for their professional achievements and service to the university.

Friends from their years at CMU, Khetarpal and Pomerantz drew upon their common experiences as undergraduates navigating the uncertain, stressful waters of applying to medical school to create an alumni-based mentoring program for Carnegie Mellon students pursuing health professions.

A native of Pittsburgh, founding member of classical Indian dance team and CMU PayPal, and an Andrew Carnegie Scholar, Khetarpal graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in biological sciences. He earned his Doctor of Medicine and Master of Science in clinical research from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, where he developed a passion for working with underserved adolescent populations who struggle with access to care and resources. He is currently a pediatric resident physician at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.

A native of New Jersey, varsity golfer and member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, Pomerantz graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a double major in biological sciences and international relations and politics. He went on to Harvard University where he earned his Doctor of Medicine and a master’s degree in public policy. His academic work is focused on increasing equity in and access to insurance design as well as improving firearm safety. He is currently a pediatric resident physician in the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center.

During their first year in medical school, Khetarpal and Pomerantz were struck by an idea when their medical school programs reached out to ask for volunteer mentors for undergraduate students. It was then that the Carnegie Mellon Medical Student Alumni Mentorship Program (MSAMP) was born, offering the duo an impactful way to give back to the CMU community. With the support of the university’s Health Professions Program, MSAMP pairs CMU students and alumni who are looking to pursue a medical career such as physician or dentist with a CMU alumnus in the field. The program provides mentorship and offers a framework to navigate the application, testing and selection process for medical school.

A valuable resource for students who now have a guide for questions, interview preparation and selection strategies, MSAMP also aims to reduce students’ anxieties throughout the process and allows alumni to give back to their alma mater through their lived experiences. Now in its fifth year, the program includes more than 130 alumni and has been replicated by two other universities.