Black men in the medical education pipeline

Abstract

The authors discuss the decline in the numbers of black men enrolling in medical school over the last two decades and assess possible reasons for it, including the smaller numbers of men from nearly all races and ethnic groups now applying to medical school, the declining popularity of the undergraduate biology degree among men in general, the falling number of black students who go on to college, and, underlying all these, the pervasive effects of poverty on educational achievement, the dwindling employment opportunities for black men of limited education (brought on by dramatic changes in the American economy), and the rising indices of stress and alienation among black men. The authors review the larger social implications of the growing educational gap between black men and other segments of society, pose questions about some of the trends that have been mentioned, indicate lines for further research, and propose potential solutions to the problem of the deepening underrepresentation of black men in medical schools.

Promoting Progress or Propagating Problems: Strategic Plans and the Advancement of Academic Faculty Diversity in U.S. Medical Schools

“…The results of this study align with prior studies that suggest URM faculty growth has been meager over the past 20 years. 1,2,31 The presence of a strategic plan to increase faculty diversity was not associated with higher URM faculty growth among the AAMC member institutions. Furthermore, having a strategic plan for faculty diversity for longer than the past five years was not associated with URM faculty growth.…”

“…Medicine has sought to increase the presence of underrepresented minorities in medicine (URMs) for over thirty years. [1][2][3] These groups have been traditionally defined as African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, and Pacific Islanders. 4 Medical leaders and health care advocates understand that increasing URMs is a mechanism to increase social justice, reduce health care disparities, and improve quality of care among these very same racial and ethnic groups.…”

Design of an Intervention to Promote Entry of Minority Youth into Clinical Research Careers by Aligning Ambition: The TEACH (Training Early Achievers for Careers in Health) Research Program

“…The 2004 Sullivan Commission Report, “Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions,” urges academic medical centers to identify potential minority candidates early, and to prepare minority students for the rigor of medical school by helping them acquire skills and behaviors necessary for success well before they apply. To accomplish this, many authors (see Cavazos, 1990; Petersdorf, 1992; Ready & Nickens, 1991) suggest that academic medical centers form relationships with community school systems, including primary, secondary, and undergraduate programs, to foster student interest in medicine. The goal of such early outreach programming is (1) to prepare, motivate, and educate junior high or high school students from underrepresented and/or disadvantaged groups to gain the necessary academic qualifications to pursue a career in health professions (Carline, Patterson, Davis, Irby, & Oakes‐Borremo, 1998); and (2) to socialize these students to realistically commit to the long‐term rigorous programs demanded by health professions (Lourenco, 1983; Thomson & Denk, 1999).…”