Diversity in Academic Medicine No. 1 Case for Minority Faculty Development Today
Author(s):
Nivet, Marc A.; Taylor, Vera S.; Butts, Gary C.; Strelnick, A. Hal; Herbert-carter, Janice; Fry-johnson, Yvonne W.; Smith, Quentin T.; Rust, George; Kondwani, Kofi
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, Volume 75, Issue 6 (2008-12). pp. 491-498.
Language:
English
Abstract:
For the past 20 years, the percentage of the American population consisting of nonwhite minorities has been steadily increasing. By 2050, these nonwhite minorities, taken together, are expected to become the majority. Meanwhile, despite almost 50 years of efforts to increase the representation of minorities in the healthcare professions, such representation remains grossly deficient. Among the underrepresented minorities are African and Hispanic Americans; Native Americans, Alaskans, and Pacific Islanders (including Hawaiians); and certain Asians (including Hmong, Vietnamese, and Cambodians). The underrepresentation of underrepresented minorities in the healthcare professions has a profoundly negative effect on public health, including serious racial and ethnic health disparities. These can he reduced only by increased recruitment and development of both underrepresented minority medical students and underrepresented minority medical school administrators and faculty. Underrepresented minority faculty development is deterred by barriers resulting from years of systematic segregation, discrimination, tradition, culture, and elitism in academic medicine. If these barriers can he overcome, the rewards will he great: improvements in public health, an expansion of the contemporary medical research agenda, and improvements in the teaching of both underrepresented minority and non-underrepresented minority students. Mt Sinai J Med 75:491-498, 2008 (C) 2008 Mount Sinai School of Medicine