Connective Issues: A UMass Chan diversity and inclusion blog

As the academic year gears up, schools across the country will host general orientations to acclimate new students to campus life and learn about the policies, procedures and expectations of their institutions. 

In addition, many universities will host tailored orientations geared toward students with various needs. At UMass Chan Medical School, the Inclusive Excellence Orientation, to be held Aug. 15, is designed for students of color and students historically underrepresented in medicine (URiM). All members of the UMass Chan community are welcome.  

A look at the U.S. population of the ethnic groups that URiM students come from in comparison to their representation in medical schools can give insight into why such events matter. The 2020 U.S. Census reported that people who self-identify as Black or African American make up 12 percent of the population. Yet only 5.7 percent of those Black and African Americans are doctors, according to a 2021 report by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Hispanics, who comprise 19 percent of the U.S. population, only represent 6.9 percent of U.S. doctors, the AAMC reported. 

In the Journal of the National Medical Association article, “Why aren’t there more African American physicians? A qualitative study and exploratory inquiry of African-American students' perspectives on careers in medicine,” authors Vijaya Rao and Glenn Flores write, “Major barriers to becoming a physician cited by students included financial constraints, lack of knowledge about medicine, lack of African American role models in the community and on TV, and racism in medicine.” 

Similarly, the BMC Medical Education article, “Latinas in medicine: evaluating and understanding the experience of Latinas in medical education: a cross sectional survey,” by Gabriella Geiger, Lauren Kiel and Miki Horiguchi, notes that, “Discriminatory experiences and mental health inflictions throughout training may contribute to difficulties in recruitment, retainment and advancement of Hispanic/Latinx trainees, a notably understudied population.” 

And according to the blogpost, The Issues Surrounding Native American Education, from the organization Native Hope, which addresses injustices facing Native Americans, “Because of the impoverished economies of many reservations, many Native American children attend underfunded schools. This means their educational opportunities are insufficient.”  

Native Hope’s focus on the lack of access to fundamental opportunities during early childhood, in addition to the findings about Black and Latinx students along their educational journeys, reveal a fundamental truth, which is: It is not students of color, but rather a multitude of systemic issues that intersect and lead to these disparities. Despite these significant barriers, students of color constantly beat the odds and make it to medical school. Thus, orientations that center them give them an opportunity to meet those in solidarity with them and reinforce their belongingness. These gatherings allow for students to begin the foundational work of building networks of support that include peers and mentors to lean on when the journey gets difficult. 

For these reasons, the Inclusive Excellence Orientation and every other program that centers the lived experiences of underrepresented students should be supported and celebrated. That work is done at UMass Chan through the efforts of our Diversity and Inclusion Office and through myriad UMass Chan programs and collaborations that reach students historically underrepresented in medicine as early as possible.   

Creating a medical workforce that reflects the community we live in is our collective responsibility. Such commitments not only open worlds of possibilities for gifted students, but they save lives.