More doctors should know the culture, and the language

BYJO WIEDERHORN

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Saturday, December 30, 2017, 5:00 AM

Sheba Ebhote, the daughter of a Guyanese immigrant, grew up in Brooklyn, where she saw her family struggle to get their health-care needs met. A cultural disconnect between her family members and their doctors led to poor medical care.

That experience motivated Ebhote to become a doctor who would serve members of her community. But she soon discovered pursuing a career in medicine was fraught with obstacles and barriers, particularly for individuals traditionally underrepresented in medicine.

African Americans and Latinos, who together make up 31% of New York’s population, are only 12% of the state’s physician workforce. Making matters worse, for some groups, like black males, the number enrolled in medical school has actually declined over the past four decades: The number of black male medical students statewide went from 548 students in 1978 to 515 in 2014.

Those of us who work at all levels of education, health care and government have a collective responsibility to help more underrepresented students find the path to and through medical school.

This is not just about equal opportunity.

Diversity in medicine is key to improving the health of New Yorkers. Data shows that when patients and physicians are from similar backgrounds and speak the same language, health outcomes improve. This is due to longer patient visits, increased patient satisfaction and improved adherence to treatment.

Doctors from racial and ethnic backgrounds typically underrepresented in medicine are also significantly more likely to practice primary care, and to practice in areas federally designated as medically underserved.

But many obstacles exist along the path to becoming a physician for students such as Ebhote.

High school and college advisors have misconceptions about the medical school application process and the qualifications that are needed to enter medical school. Those misconceptions often deter students from applying. In addition, the cost of medical school tuition — the median level of debt for the class of 2017 was $192,000, not including accrued interest — is often used as a rationale for suggesting a student take a different career path.

There are other challenges. In college, Ebhote found that her high school curriculum had not prepared her to tackle pre-med courses. Her grades left her at a competitive disadvantage when applying to medical school.

The solution for students like her is simple: Access to medical school pipeline programs that provide academic enrichment and mentoring.

The Associated Medical Schools of New York, which I lead, has overseen successful pipeline programs since 1985. AMSNY’s Diversity in Medicine Program, which is supported by the New York State Department of Health, has enabled over 450 students from economically or educationally underserved areas to become doctors.

The programs help students prepare academically for medical school and provide them with the support and guidance they need to navigate the preparation and application process.

When New York Medical College saw Ebhote’s passion and potential, they offered her a conditional acceptance upon successful completion of the post-bac program. Earlier this fall, she donned a white coat as a student of the NYMC class of 2021.

But these programs aren’t enough. The cost of medical school and the ensuing debt remain major obstacles for underrepresented students. Schools in New York provide generous scholarships based on need, but they can’t fill the gap alone.

Earlier this year, New York State, thanks particularly to members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, seeded a new scholarship program with a $500,000 investment.

A group of students underrepresented in medicine are each getting $42,000 paid towards their tuition. For those attending state school, the scholarship covers the full tuition cost. The scholarship lifts the financial barrier to medical school enrollment.

But it has only been funded for one year. The dearth of diversity in medicine suggests we need a long-term investment in scholarships and increased support for pipeline programs. We hope we can count on the state to fill the gap.

Wiederhorn is president of the Associated Medical Schools of New York.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/diversity-new-york-healthier-article-1.3726448

By Capital Tonight Staff  |  October 9, 2017 @4:11 PM

A state-sponsored scholarship is helping its first round of med students reduce their debts and make the medical field more diverse. The Associated Medical Schools of New York says having the demographics of the profession match the demographics of the state means better results for patients here. And so the group is pushing to make sure the scholarship stays funded. We talked to Jo Wiederhorn from the association and Assemblyman Crystal Peoples-Stokes about how to do that.

Segment at 41:25

https://www.wbai.org/archive.php

The program director of the state’s first program designed to diversity New York’s physician workforce has been recognized with a staff award of excellence for promoting inclusion and cultural diversity at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. The 27-year-old post-baccalaureate program, supported by the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) and UB’s medical school, has produced more than 400 successful graduates who otherwise would not have attended medical school.

Jaafar M. Angevin, post-baccalaureate program coordinator, Office of Medical Education in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, received the award during the school’s Faculty and Staff Recognition Awards.

Angevin was described as “the face of the medical school’s highly successful and often unsung post-baccalaureate program, which the medical school has hosted for a quarter of a century, and whose mission is to promote diversity in the physician workforce.”

At the event, Margarita Dubocovich, PhD, senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion, said: “Jaafar works tirelessly with the students in the program, helping to ensure their success and making sure they stay on track. Not only does he organize the program, but he is a cheerleader, a shoulder to cry on sometimes and an all-around counselor to the students. He is a major contributor to the overall success of the program.”

Contact: Jaime Williams, jaime@anatgerstein.com, 914-325-8877   

                             
New NYS-Sponsored Scholarship Helps Students from Diverse Backgrounds Become Doctors, Close Diversity in Medicine Gap

(New York, NY) – Today, the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) announced the 10 recipients of the new Diversity in Medicine Scholarship program. The scholarship program was funded this year by the New York State Department of Health, thanks to the support of the legislature, to help address the gap in physician diversity.

According to data from the SUNY Albany Center for Health Workforce Studies, Blacks/African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos made up only 12% of the physician workforce in the state between 2011-2015, compared to approximately 31% of New York’s population. Data shows that patients who have doctors who represent their own diversity have better medical experiences.

Thanks to a $500,000 investment from the state, the medical school scholarships — pegged to the cost of SUNY medical school tuition— will help students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine by eliminating the financial barrier to medical school enrollment.

“We are grateful to the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus Members, and particularly Assembly Members Blake, People-Stokes, and Perry, Chair of Caucus, who understand that having more doctors who represent the great diversity of New York state will further enable us to improve health outcomes,” said AMSNY President Jo Wiederhorn. “Thanks to them, we will improve opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds and continue to diversify our physician workforce.”

Assemblymember Michael A. Blake said: “Investing in our medical students of color is an investment in the future and with the inclusion of funding for the Diversity in Medicine Program in the 2018 FY Budget, that is exactly what we are doing. These funds not only go to support students from economically underserved areas but also to the communities they return to, increasing the number and quality of health service in these areas. The Diversity in Medicine scholarship creates opportunities by eliminating the economic barrier that many experience during medical school enrollment. Each year, this program will give ten distinguished students the opportunity to continue learning, growing and making The Bronx and all of New York a greater state and, most importantly, bringing diversity to our medical field. I congratulate President Jo Wiederhorn for her exemplary leadership, Assembly Member Crystal Peoples-Stokes who continues to be the champion of this great cause and my colleagues in the Legislature and Executive Office to once again secure the funds to invest in our students future.”

“Congratulations to Karole Collier and Bradley Frate on obtaining Diversity in Medicine Scholarships as UB Medical Students. May your passion to treat the sick and underserved and your desire to reduce health disparities inspire the next generation of physicians. While the mastery of academics is key, so is cultural competency and the willingness to understand how diet, exercise and life choices affect one’s health. This is why I have and will continue to strongly advocate for increased diversity in medicine,” stated Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes.

The 2017 Diversity in Medicine Scholarship recipients are: Karole Collier, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo; Melissa Espert, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Bradley Frate, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo; John Lopez, Albany Medical College; Catherina Lubin, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine; Zacharia Mohamed, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Akya Myrie, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine; Diana Perez, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Sebastian Placide, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and Nefertiti Tyehemba, SUNY Upstate Medical University.

The students were selected from among graduates of AMSNY post-bac programs, which provide students from economically or educationally underserved areas with provisional acceptance at a New York State medical school depending on their completion of one of three programs. The Diversity in Medicine Program, which is supported by the New York State Department of Health, has enabled 450 students from economically or educationally underserved areas to become doctors. The programs include the 25-year-old, one-year post-baccalaureate program at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, and master’s programs at New York Medical College, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and SUNY Upstate Medical University.

The Diversity in Medicine scholarship is available to New York medical school students from economically and educationally underserved areas. For many students, paying for a medical education is a daunting challenge— of the graduating class of 2015, 81 percent of medical students reported leaving medical school with student loan debt. Across the country, the median level of debt for the class of 2015 was $183,000, not including accrued interest.

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The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) is a consortium of the 16 public and private medical schools throughout New York State. AMSNY’s mission is to promote high quality and cost-efficient health care by assuring that the medical schools of New York State can provide outstanding medical education, care and research. The combined total of New York’s medical schools economic impact equals more than $85.6 billion. This means $1 in every $13 in the New York economy is related to AMSNY medical schools and their primary hospital affiliates. For more information on AMSNY, please visit: www.amsny.org