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By Shamard Charles, M.D.
Blacks and Latinos account for more than 30% of the US population, but only 10.3% of medical school graduates, a figure that has not changed much in 50 years. It is a stark reminder that even though the American population is diversifying, medicine is not.
At present, universities and community organizations across the country are working together to reverse this trend.
The Northwestern Medicine Scholars Program at Westinghouse College Prep, a public high school in Chicago, is an example. Founded in 2011 by Dr. Erica Marsh, formerly Northwestern and now OB-GYN at the University of Michigan, this partnership provides Westinghouse students with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of physicians and scientists through mentorship with doctors and researchers. , intensive summer and exam preparation courses, and support for college entrance. The only requirements are a 3.2 GPA and a sincere desire to pursue studies in mathematics or science.
The Northwestern Scholarship Program is led by Dr. Robert Yancy, Vice Dean of Diversity and Inclusion and Chief of Cardiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago.
"These young people belong to families whose economic means are very limited, yet we give them a different experience by telling them," No, you can do it, "Yancy told NBC News.
And the students seem to listen to the message.
Sixty students were Northwestern medical researchers, all chosen in ninth grade. Until now, all students have completed high school and nearly 100% went to college – a student earned a nursing degree and now works at Northwestern Medical Hospital – all college-related students receiving significant assistance in scholarship, Yancy said. The graduates of the program attend the following universities: the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.
Sixty percent of students pursue studies in science, technology, engineering or mathematics at the university; are in the premed tracks; or are in areas related to health care, such as nursing, said Janet Rocha, assistant professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Most of the chosen scholars are from families in difficulty, with no tradition of higher education, said Yancy. "What is most remarkable is that 60% of students receive financial aid for school meals – a socio-economic stress index – and 80% come from naïve families in college," he said. Yancy.
"We have effectively developed a pipeline program that attracts a diverse group," he continued. "If only one student succeeds in high school, attends college, graduates, looks for a professional degree, then goes home to serve as a model, our program has been a success."
Other academic organizations, such as the Associated Medical Schools of New York, also run diversity programs aimed at increasing the number of minority-owned students in medical schools. One of the solutions is to reduce financial barriers: the average debt of a medical graduate is around $ 200,000, he said, placing the medical school out of reach for many minorities .
On Wednesday, the New York group, which represents the 16 public and private medical schools of the state, has asked the state legislature to increase funding for its diversity scholarship program in New York. medicine to a million dollars, to cover one year of tuition fees for 20 years. students. Fellows must agree to work in underserved areas of the state upon completion of their studies.
"We are specifically targeting black and Latino children to increase ethnic diversity in medical schools," organization spokesman Jaime Williams told NBC News on Friday.
This year, the first class of Northwestern scholars will graduate from university. Of the six students in the class, four pursue graduate studies – two go to medical school and the rest seek a master's degree in public health and health administration, Yancy said.
Braxton Jenkins, 19, a student at the University of Valparaiso in Indiana, said that the Scholars program had changed his life.
"It was the best part of high school. They've provided me with a network and an environment that encourages students to enter the fields of STEM, "said Jenkins, referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "It really makes a difference. I am in college and these memories motivate me and I can not be more grateful to them. "
Jenkins, who grew up in western Chicago, said the program was successful because it offered unique experiences, such as the opportunity to participate in scientific research, as well as discussions about implicit biases and micro-aggression. their effects on people.
"We had frank discussions about what would be a person of color at the university," said Jenkins, a black race. "It really prepares you for everything. Currently, I want to study solar panels and energy, but I keep the medicine in the back of my mind. "
Yancy said he hoped that programs such as those in Northwestern would become a national model of academic excellence for underrepresented populations, particularly in light of a report released in 2016 by the Association of American Faculties of Medicine, which showed a marked decrease in the number of African-American medical students, especially black men. across the country from 1978 to 2014.
Between 1978 and 2015, 78.6% of graduates of American medical schools were white or Asian, the report said. Blacks, American Indians and Hispanics together accounted for the remaining 21.4%.
Black doctors are better equipped to defend the rights of black patients because of their shared cultural experiences, said Dr. Dale Okorodudu, president and founder of DiverseMedicine, a web-based mentoring organization.
"America needs more black doctors to be able to choose, but also to have more access to providers who have cultural connections with them – who understand their lives and their challenges as much as their clinical needs," Okorodudu said. Founder of Black Men in White Coat, who organized his first youth summit a little over a week ago in Dallas.
"And young people also need to see a doctor," he added. "If you have a vision of what you want to be in life, you stay on track."
Racial disparities exist everywhere in medicine. One of the most serious is the racial disparity in maternal mortality rates of black women in the United States. Every year in the United States, about 700 women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth, while 50,000 suffer serious complications, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
But black women are three to four times more likely than white women to die of pregnancy-related causes across the country; in New York, they are 12 times more likely to die.
"Disparities can be reduced with more cultural competence – that is to say, being open, understanding and wanting to explain," said Dr. Otis Brawley, professor of oncology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, during an interview.
"It's not that drugs do not work in blacks, or simply that we do not have enough blacks in clinical research, it's that blacks often do not get the proper drugs or treatments to overcome the disparities. "
Experts believe that adding more scientists and black doctors to the pipeline is one way to reduce racial disparities in medicine. Studies have shown not only that black professionals return more often to their communities to help later in their careers than white professionals, but also that black patients are much more likely to accept some preventive health tests than they do. They discuss it with a black doctor.
"We live in a changing world," said Yancy. "In one or two decades, there will be no more majority population. If we want to serve the entire American population, we must create a workforce that is similar to the population and provides the best care for all. "
"The task is difficult, but opportunities are there when all the best ideas and ideas are considered, regardless of their origin or origin."
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