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Contributing to the future of diversity in medicine: A powerful outreach program at the SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Author(s) -
Diaz Ana,
Jones Tashzna,
Pagano Anthony S,
Márquez Samuel
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.734.1
Subject(s) - outreach , medical education , population , ethnic group , diversity (politics) , test (biology) , medicine , psychology , health care , family medicine , health equity , medical laboratory , session (web analytics) , gerontology , nursing , public health , paleontology , environmental health , sociology , political science , anthropology , law , economics , biology , economic growth , world wide web , computer science
The Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) at Downstate is a powerful education outreach platform that promotes and supports pools of under represented students interested in choosing careers in medicine and other health care professions. Despite a steady increase in the proportion of the American population comprised of racial and ethnic minority groups, the percentage of minority physicians has remained relatively stagnant over the last 20 years. African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans comprise 26% of the U.S. population yet make up only 6% of practicing physicians. 1 The Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) at Downstate aims to minimize this disparity by offering 30 minority high school students in 9th through 11th grade the opportunity to engage in lectures and participate in small group workshops where they learn anatomy, physiology, and some practical clinical applications of the basic sciences. With the help of medical student facilitators, many of whom are also from minority groups, program participants complete a research project on a pre‐approved topic for presentation during the final week of the program. Pre‐ and post‐tests are carried out at each session in order to quantify student learning by grade‐level. Results have shown consistent significant (P<0.05) improvement between pre‐ and post‐test scores as of their first use in 2014. In addition, a pre‐ and post‐program questionnaire is given to assess the program's impact on students' intent to pursue a career as a health professional with the vast majority of participants answering favorably. As HPREP offers early exposure to minorities underrepresented in medicine, it is our goal to better prepare them for completing the rigors required for successful entrance into the field, thereby bringing greater diversity to the physician workforce.