ACADEMIC MEDICINE
.2023 Mar 1;98(3):304-312. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005070. Epub 2022 Oct 25.
Increasing the Representation of Black Men in Medicine by Addressing Systems Factors
Norma I Poll-Hunter 1, Zackary Brown 2, André Smith 3, Steven M Starks 4, Rosalind Gregory-Bass 5, Derek Robinson 6, Maureen D Cullins 7, Quinn Capers 4th 8, Alden Landry 9, Antonio Bush 10, Kimberly Bellamy 11, Niva Lubin-Johnson 12, Clarence J Fluker 13, David A Acosta 14, Geoffrey H Young 15, Gary C Butts 16, Cedric M Bright 17
In 2015, data released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) showed that there were more Black men applying and matriculating to medical school in 1978 than 2014. The authors provide a brief overview of the educational experiences of Black boys and men in the United States and, as members of the Action Collaborative, describe their early work. Using research, data, and collective lived experiences, the Action Collaborative members identified premedical and academic medicine systems factors that represented opportunities for change.
Why This Is Important: Having more Black physicians is an essential element in establishing health equity for Black Americans. However, increasing the number of Black male physicians is key to reaching that goal.
This study suggests it is not enough just to identify talented students but to provide an environment at the undergraduate level where these students can thrive. On July 10, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law California Assembly Bill 102, which had been passed by the California Assembly and California Senate earlier in the year. The Bill will appropriate $2,800,000 ANNUALLY to support the CALIFORNIA MEDICINE SCHOLARS PROGRAM. Section 122, Provision #8 was designed by the California Medicine Coalition (CMC) to break the barriers to underrepresented minorities entering medical school. This bill is the creation of Dr. Coyness Ennix an Oakland-based cardiovascular surgeon.
HERE IS THE FORMULA
