Born and raised in Modesto, Calif., by Mexican immigrant parents, Emily Marquez grew up in a close-knit, Spanish-speaking household where family was at the center of everything. Among the most influential people in her life was her grandmother, whose experience navigating the healthcare system ultimately shaped the path she would follow.

“My grandmother’s cancer journey is what inspired me into medicine,” Marquez said.

As a teenager, Marquez watched her grandmother suffer from severe stomach pain and repeatedly seek care in the Central Valley. Despite multiple visits to the emergency room, her symptoms were consistently attributed to common conditions. Her family felt critical questions were left unanswered and that a lack of compassion compounded the situation.

After seeking care outside the region, Marquez’s grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

“This was the first true time I experienced firsthand how differences in access could affect a family,” she said. “My grandmother’s pain was my mother’s pain, and it was my pain. We’re an extremely close family.”

The experience opened Marquez’s eyes to the barriers some patients face in receiving care. As she later learned in college, those barriers can include physician shortages, language differences and limited access to specialty care.

While attending UCLA, Marquez deepened her understanding of these challenges through volunteer work and community health programs serving communities with limited care options in South and East Los Angeles, as well as Boyle Heights and along the U.S.-Mexico border. Those experiences reinforced her desire to become a physician who treats patients while also working to close the systemic gaps that can leave many people without adequate care.

“I really want to make sure that I get a magnifying glass and look through areas where these gaps exist and try to create solutions,” Marquez said. “There are a lot of people falling through the cracks.”

That mission made Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, known as CDU, a natural fit for medical school training.

After touring the university and learning about its history, Marquez was drawn to its focus on community impact.

“When I was looking at their website and their mission statement, I saw that it specifically mentioned health gaps and minimizing them,” she said. “When I was looking at other medical schools, that was not common. They’re not just adding keywords in their mission statement with no action. They’re doing things in their community.”

Marquez’s journey has been further strengthened by a scholarship supported through Sutter Health’s multiyear partnership with CDU. The scholarship provides significant financial relief, reducing the burden of tuition expenses and allowing her to focus on her education and future patients.

“Getting into medical school already felt like reaching the moon,” Marquez said. “Getting the scholarship was the stars. It was something I didn’t even know was possible for me.”

Program Growth Paves Way for a Bright Future 

The Sutter Health Scholars Program, in partnership with CDU,  launched in 2024 with a $7.5 million investment. Last year, Sutter increased the number of full scholarships from 25 to 50 over five years. This makes the Sutter Scholars Program one of the largest scholarship efforts in CDU’s history and a first-of-its-kind initiative for Sutter.

Students part of the scholars program will get more than just financial help and a debt-free education. They will be matched with mentors at the top of their medical and research specialties, placed in unique clinical settings and given access to the tools needed to succeed in medical school and thereafter.

Now a member of CDU’s incoming class, Marquez said the university’s supportive environment and mission-driven curriculum are already helping prepare her for the future.

“The way faculty and students bond and connect is very unique,” she said. “It makes me feel like I’m in good hands.”

As she begins medical school, Marquez carries her grandmother’s memory with her every step of the way.

“I think she loved me so much that I carry that love with me,” Marquez added. “I see my grandparents as parents. They are always with me. It just felt like God, and my grandmother’s pain and her journey paved the way for me to be the physician I really want to be.”

Through CDU’s training and the support of the scholarship with Sutter Health, she is one step closer to becoming the physician she once wished her family had. As Sutter continues to expand its investment in physician education, including the recent launch of the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine, this partnership represents an important part of that long-term vision.

Meet the 2026 Sutter Health Scholars who will graduate in the Classes of 2030

Jude Farhat

Emily Marquez

Quinn A. Iniguez

Nathan Gonzalez

Isabel Luna

Arayam Y. Hailu

John S. Salas

 Eyuche O. Okorie

Wei-Chin Wang

Erich A. Martinez

Warsan A. Ali

Fernando J. Gil

Mikayla Scott