The Problem: Diversity in Medicine

Minority enrollments in U.S. medical schools reached their peak in 1975, when minorities represented 8.1 percent of the total student body. Since then, however, a leveling-off effect has dominated, and no significant increase in the number of underrepresented minorities entering medical school has occurred.

Many current trends point to the urgency and timeliness to reaffirm our commitment to the diversity affirmation; a perceived physician surplus in the face of an underrepresentation of minority physicians; the continuing physician maldistribution vis-à-vis minority and other underserved areas; the lack of opportunity for minorities in graduate medical programs; the under-representation of both minority medical students and faculty members in medical education; and the increasing cost of medical education to minorities and other low-income individuals. WWAMI urges that, in any deliberations regarding physician manpower, the recruitment and graduation of individuals from underrepresented minorities in medical education must be considered with particular care and as a top priority. The WWAMI Medical Education Program reaffirms its commitment to the diversity effort.

Background: Page 1

Since the 1990 census, the private and public sectors have been preparing for what the 2000 census made official: The United States is more of a melting pot today than at any time in its history. In the 1990s alone, the foreign-born population nearly doubled, to 31 million people. That group now comprises 11 percent of the total reported population - a mass immigration comparable to that of the early 20th century.

Latinos, African-Americans and Asian-Americans now constitute almost 30 percent of the country’s population, or 85 million people. These three groups, taken as a whole, already represent the majority population in the 10 largest American cities. They are also the fastest-growing populations in 50 of the top urban areas. Since 1999, they have become, for the first time in history, the majority group in California, which is the largest and most powerful consumer market in the United States. Across the country, they command over $1.5 trillion in annual purchasing power. By the year 2050, these same groups will tip the scale from minority to majority.

The findings and recommendations of the 1970 American Association for Medical Colleges (AAMC) Task Force on Minority Student Opportunities in Medical Education, combined with federal and private philanthropy support, provided the first impetus for the academic medical community to address the issue of access to the profession of medicine for individuals of underrepresented minority groups in our society.

Background: Page 2

The following decade witnessed significant progress as total enrollment of underrepresented minorities surged from 3.12 percent in 1969 to 8.0 percent in 1979. Whereas in 1969, students enrolled in medical school at Howard University and Meharry accounted for 75 percent of all black medical students, by 1979 they accounted for only 20 percent.

This long-term plateau indicates that if the progress achieved in providing access for more minorities to pursue careers in medicine is to continue, educational institutions, the federal government, and philanthropic organizations must reaffirm their commitment to the education of underrepresented minorities for careers in medicine as a national goal.