Our story
Health Mentors began with a simple idea: students should be able to learn directly from people who have already navigated the careers they are considering.
What if finding the right person to ask was easier?
Through his work in tribal and rural communities, Dr. John Shufeldt saw students who were motivated to serve their communities but often lacked direct access to people who could explain what the path into healthcare actually looked like.
The information existed. The ambition existed.
What was often missing was a person.
Someone who could answer the questions a website cannot. Someone who had made the decisions, gone through the training, and could speak honestly about what came next.
That idea became Health Mentors.
Health Mentors was created to make those people easier to find.
A student exploring medicine should be able to talk to someone who has been through medical school. Someone considering nursing should be able to hear from a nurse. Someone curious about research, public health, pharmacy, health technology, or another path should be able to learn directly from someone living it.
The goal is not to tell students what path to choose.
It is to give them access to people who can help them understand their options.
Health Mentors helps students find people a few steps ahead of them and reach out in one of two ways: request a conversation, which takes place on Health Mentors if the mentor accepts, or send a one-time email introduction, after which any reply continues over email. The mentor decides whether to respond. Alongside the directory, we run workshops where students can learn from people in the field.
We are building a place where students can ask real questions, explore possibilities, and find guidance without already needing connections to get started.
Founder · Physician and health-care entrepreneur
John is an emergency physician, attorney, educator, and health-care entrepreneur. His work founding Tribal Health grew from witnessing severe care disparities in Indian Country. Health Mentors carries that experience into a practical idea: access to a guide should not depend on geography or family connections.
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Co-founder · Product and technology
Nicholas leads the product and technology behind Health Mentors. He is building a small, honest directory that helps students discover real people and start a thoughtful first conversation.
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Co-founder & Director of Program Strategy
Sarah studied Biological Sciences and Philosophy at Arizona State University and is preparing to apply to medical school. Her background includes research, clinical work, healthcare innovation, and community outreach. She is especially passionate about underserved communities and helping students navigate the prehealth path with greater clarity and access.
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Director of Program Operations
Macarthy studied computational neuroscience and management consulting at the University of Southern California. Her experience spans healthcare innovation at Barrow Neurological Institute, healthcare consulting at Protiviti, and venture capital at Xcellerant Ventures. She brings a business and innovation perspective to helping students understand the many paths within healthcare.
View public profileBiographical claims are drawn from approved public profiles and institutional sources. Founder portraits are used with permission.