Ecosystem for Greater Diversity

The Kellogg Eye Center has a history of fostering diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to address disparities in eye care and improve the underrepresentation of minority populations in ophthalmic care delivery, research participation and provider education.

While minority populations comprise 31% of the U.S. population, notes Dr. Ariane Kaplan, Kellogg's medical student clerkship director, only 6% of practicing ophthalmologists come from under-represented in medicine (URM) cohorts. She points to studies that show patients are more likely to trust healthcare physicians they can identify with— those with similar ethnic backgrounds, cultural experiences and race.

The Michigan Ophthalmology Pipeline (MOP) program at Kellogg encourages medical students from diverse backgrounds to explore ophthalmology early in their education. The innovative longitudinal mentorship program brings together medical students, ophthalmology residents and Kellogg faculty to create a supportive ecosystem. The goal of MOP is to both encourage interest in ophthalmology and to help students to build strong residency applications regardless of the specialty they choose.

Fourth-year medical student Tochukwu Ndukwe, one of two MOP students applying to ophthalmology residency programs this year, says the mentorship has helped him in significant ways. “I was able to get involved in the field in my first year of medical school. That’s when I realized ophthalmology was for me,” says Ndukwe. “Early on, I got a better sense of the world of ophthalmology.”

During the program, medical students receive one-on-one mentorship from Kellogg’s ophthalmology residents and faculty, including clinical and OR experience. This frequent, personal connection provides the guidance and experience helpful for early success. In addition to clinical skills, students get hands-on experience in basic ophthalmology surgical skills via a surgical simulator and suture practice.

Being connected with resident and faculty mentors was a key aspect of the program for Ndukwe, who says Kellogg ophthalmologist Joshua Ehrlich, M.D., M.P.H, was an influential mentor who “supported my passion for health equity research.”

“Faculty mentoring enables students to foster relationships at Kellogg, which can help with letters of recommendation for residency as well as career advice along the way,” notes Dr. Kaplan, who led the creation and development of the MOP program. The program also provides assistance to help mentees better prepare for national board examinations.

For participating residents, “ the program provides an opportunity to gain early experience as a physician-mentor and develop the skills necessary for a lifetime of teaching and leadership.

“Our MOP program is important because it gives medical students early exposure to ophthalmology, which is not a requirement within the medical school curriculum and often goes unexplored,” says Dr. Kaplan. “We want to get it on their radar earlier.” The benefits of promoting diversity in the ophthalmology field expand beyond medical students and residents, says Dr. Kaplan. “The program’s emphasis on inclusion to increase diversity in ophthalmology really made me who I am, and makes me want to pay that forward,” says Ndukwe.

“As we see more students from diverse backgrounds pursuingmedical careers in ophthalmology, we will better representthe patient populations we serve, which may help reduceobserved disparities in eye care and vision health.”

“The program’s emphasis on inclusion to increase diversityin ophthalmology really made me who I am, and makes me wantto pay that forward,” says Ndukwe.