Diversity Program to Create Pathways to Medical School

In America, healthcare disparities remain startling: A person’s ZIP code, the color of their skin or their sexual orientation sometimes means that their health outcomes are worse and their lives are shorter.

However, there is good data to suggest that medical students who come from rural and medically underserved communities tend to return to their roots to practice medicine and make a difference in areas where they are needed the most.

This year the OU College of Medicine created the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement (ODICE) to develop talent and create pathways to medical school for students from under-represented groups. They’re doing so by forging long-lasting relationships with young people across Oklahoma, working with them over time from the moment they first dream of becoming a doctor.

“It’s hard for young people from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds to imagine that they can be a doctor when they don’t see anyone who looks like them or have access to someone who can help mentor them,” said Roberto Salinas, M.D., assistant dean for diversity. “For many, they are the first in their family to go to college and often lack the academic readiness for the rigorous premedical curriculum and medical school entrance exam that awaits them. Thus, we have to start

much earlier and start a conversation with students and their parents to better prepare them and create pathways to help guide them.”

In middle school, students begin to cultivate their interest in science and math. Traditionally, however, many of those students have “leaked” out of pipeline programs if the curriculum is too rigid or if they don’t have mentors. ODICE aims to engage students through various partnerships, including tribes and area high schools, to not only tell students that it’s possible to become a doctor, but to give them a road map for getting there.

“It’s nothing more than equity — giving every student the same opportunity to develop those academic skills to become better-qualified applicants to medical school,” Salinas said. “If students are willing to put in the hard work, are committed and remain steadfast in their pursuit of their dream, then we have an obligation as an institution of higher learning to create opportunities to help better their academic readiness.”

Candice Teets, who works with Salinas as coordinator for student diversity, has been making partnerships with Oklahoma organizations since she began in January. The College of Medicine is hosting a STEAM Camp – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math – with the Comanche

Nation. On National Doctor’s Day, several doctors visited area schools to talk to students about their journey to becoming a physician. Many more such relationships are in the works, and existing programs will continue, such as Spark Camp on the Oklahoma City campus and Club Scrubs on the Tulsa campus, both of which give students hands-on experiences with OU physicians. In addition, several OU medical students who grew up in small towns across Oklahoma have returned to their rural roots with information and conversation about going to medical school.

“When students see the success of a physician who was in

similar places where they are now – being the first from their family to go to college, being part of a minority group, being from a low socioeconomic group – they can see a person who has overcome the same challenges that they have. That really inspires kids,” Teets said.

ODICE also is working toward building a more inclusive environment for student, faculty and staff. Faculty and medical student diversity councils have been formed, an LGBT group, called Lumina, is underway, and training on unconscious bias will be provided.

As he looks toward the future, Salinas sees a more diverse student body who will help eliminate the disparities that affect health.

“Excellence in inclusion could help us recruit more talented students and faculty from diverse backgrounds, and I am convinced that this will serve to enrich our learning environment,” Salinas said. “We are in the business of training the next generation of physicians who will provide healthcare for a changing demographic, and we need to continue to recruit trainees who reflect the population that they will ultimately serve. A diverse student body also adds different perspectives, which fosters new ideas on how best to address the complex healthcare needs of communities.”