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Class Scholars

Class Scholars: 1975

Caitlin McGrath, Class of 2014

• Bio

• Thank You Letter

Caitlin McGrath, Class of 2014, was born in a small Illinois town outside of St. Louis, Missouri. As a child, McGrath made a promise to herself that she would become a doctor to honor the memory of her father, a family physician, and the ideals he worked for.

As a student at Triad High School, McGrath discovered that, in addition to a love for medicine, she had a passion for working with children. She matriculated to the University of Illinois, where she earned dual degrees in molecular and cellular biology and psychology and graduated summa cum laude. While a student, she did research on cognitive development in preschoolers, which led to a co-authored publication in the Infant Behavior and Development journal. She also assisted with clinical research in the Washington University Division of Infectious Diseases.

McGrath has volunteered in her community since middle school, when she served as a youth group leader in her school’s WyldLife program, a student volunteer at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and a counselor at a camp designed to foster scientific interest in middle school girls. While in college, she discovered a passion for international health while on a medical service trip to Cuzco, Peru. Subsequently, she served as director of the University of Illinois chapter of Frontiers International Health Society, a student organization dedicated to increasing awareness of global health issues, and she spent a summer in Gaborone, Botswana, studying public health and HIV/AIDS.

In 2010, McGrath was admitted to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is currently enrolled in the second year core science curriculum and serves as a student coordinator for the pediatrics interest group. McGrath also volunteers with the homeless population through the Mobile Clinic Project, serves as a Bruin Bud Mentor to a pediatric patient with a chronic illness and conducts research with the UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education. MAA is proud to present Caitlin McGrath as the Class of 1975 Scholarship recipient for the 2011-12 academic year.