Minority students have traditionally been underrepresented in dental schools, which is why enrichment and pipeline programs aimed at helping minority students are necessary. That reality is reflected in their woeful underrepresentation among practicing dentists. Hispanics made up only 5.8 percent of practicing dentists in 2011, according to the…

Which colleges and universities graduate the most Black students with bachelor's degrees who then make it through medical school and become doctors? Two historically Black schools lead the pack. Xavier University continues to dominate, with 60 of its alumni graduating from medical schools around the country last year. Howard University is next,…

This article presents an interview with Dr. Marc Nivet. Dr. Nivet joined the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in June as the chief diversity officer, tasked with developing a strategic vision for AAMC's diversity efforts and overseeing programs designed to improve diversity in medical education and promote equity in health care. In…

Even on the sixth anniversary of the hurricane that buckled the Crescent City in 2005, left much of Xavier University of New Orleans under water and its faculty and students scattered by the rushing winds, Dr. JW Carmichael did not expect to be talking that morning about Katrina. For him it was a horrific storm that nearly drowned a hundred dreams…

When Ph.D. science and health researchers are seeking financial support for their health science studies, more often than not they apply to the federal government's National Institutes of Health (NIH) for an RO1 research grant, which boosts a project's standing in the research community as well as the career of the applicant. Even before the NIH…

Adults regularly ask children what they want to be when they grow up. The responses are often interesting. David Castillo knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life, even at a young age. Now he is well on his way to accomplishing his childhood dream. Castillo, a center for the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles' football team and…

This article describes how Rutgers University's Office for Diversity and Academic Success in the Sciences (ODASIS) provides step-by-step guidance to help aspiring minority physicians fulfill their dreams. ODASIS works jointly with undergraduate admissions officials at Rutgers to identify all incoming freshman students from underrepresented and…

Dr. Keith Amos' undying support for his undergrad alma mater, Xavier University of Louisiana, took an unusual turn last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Amos, who graduated from Harvard Medical School after earning his bachelor's from Xavier, also served as a mentor and advisor for Xavier students whose plans for applying to medical…

The Hispanic Center of Excellence, which is located on the campus of the Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx, is just one of the few federally funded programs in the country charged with producing new Hispanic physicians. Recently, the Office of Management and Budget, a federal department that assists President Bush in overseeing the…

If the mission of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is clear--"to change the face of medicine to reflect the face of America" said Dr. Charles Terrell, the group's vice president for diversity policy and programs, at the opening of AAMC's recent conference on career development for minority faculty--then another fact is…