Missouri Medical Review Fall 2010 : Page 16DISSOLVIng ThE DIVERSITY gap Longtime advocate guides expanding recruitment and retention efforts s a sophomore at MU, Kanya Ngwenyama knew she wanted to someday become a physician. As president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, she was already on the right track. But ultimately, it was her connection with the group’s adviser that helped cement her future as an MU medical school graduate. Ellis Ingram, MD, associate professor of pathology and A anatomical sciences at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, encouraged Ngwenyama to become a medical mentor to younger students through a science club he created that reaches out to minority precollege students. He let her know his door was open, and when it came time to apply to medical schools, he wrote her a letter of recommendation. Fast forward eight years. A member of the medical school’s Class of 2010, Ngwenyama is now completing her intern year in internal medicine at MU before heading to the University of Iowa for dermatology residency. She has stayed in touch with Ingram, who was recently appointed as MU medical school’s senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion. As a student, Ngwenyama continued to volunteer as a mentor to younger students interested in medicine, and when she talks about the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) at MU, the group for minority medical students that Ingram also advises, she describes it as an extended family during medical school. “It’s important to know that while you’re going through medical school, you’re going to be supported, that you have someone to turn to,” Ngwenyama said. “I think that makes a big difference in how comfortable you feel at an institution.” This connection between an African American faculty mentor and a student who grew up in her father’s home country of Zimbabwe is just one success the MU School of Medicine is replicating as it makes diversity among students, faculty and staff a top priority. And the school isn’t alone in its efforts – medical schools nationwide are accepting the charge from the Licensing Committee on Medical Education (LCME) — the national accrediting authority for medical degree programs in North America — as well as 16 the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to broaden diversity efforts that attract and retain students, faculty and staff from demographically diverse backgrounds. “Concern is growing over the fact that the faces of our nation’s physicians do not reflect our increasingly diverse country,” University of Missouri System President Gary Forsee told students at an SNMA regional meeting at MU. “Combine this with predictions of physician shortages, particularly in primary care, and the need for action becomes even more urgent.” daunting disparities By 2050, racial and ethnic minorities will account for half of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If African American, Latino and Native American patients seek out physicians from a similar ethnic background, they may have a long wait or not be able to find one at all. Only 6 percent of practicing doctors nationwide come from these groups, according to the AAMC. The need for a culturally diverse workforce to provide timely, high-quality care is evident in the stark health disparities existing among Missouri African Americans, Latinos and Whites. According to a 2009 report from the nonprofit Missouri Foundation for Health, African Americans were three times more likely than Whites to die of heart disease. African Americans were also significantly more likely to die of cancer, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. In 2009, Robert Churchill, MD, Hugh E. and Sara D. Stephenson Dean of the MU School of Medicine, selected Ingram to serve as the school’s first senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion. Churchill also appointed staff members to focus on nationwide student recruitment, as well as alumni and donor relations. “Our hope is that, over time, we will help create a health care system that is more representative of our nation’s population and responsive to its health care needs,” Churchill said. “Research shows that improving diversity results in improved access to culturally competent health care as well as improved satisfaction among Publication List |
