Tour for Diversity in Medicine, Aetna Foundation Launch Bus Tour to Attract Minority Students to Medicine

Tour for Diversity in Medicine, a new initiative from several young Boston- and Chicago-based physicians, has revved up for its inaugural bus tour in February to take 11 doctors, dentists and medical school students from minority populations to five historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the South to offer a full day of premedical enrichment activities to the schools’ students.

Made possible with a $210,000 award from the Aetna Foundation, Tour for Diversity in Medicine aims to provide college students of color with a wide range of information and advice to plan for careers in medicine and dentistry and ultimately diversify the health care profession. Although minority populations comprise more than 26 percent of the U.S. population, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans combined represent only about 6 percent of practicing physicians and 5 percent of dentists.

Alden Landry, M.D., an emergency room physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and co-director of Tour for Diversity in Medicine, said, “Our goal is to increase interest in health care as careers for students from minority populations and help them overcome perceived barriers to medical and dental school, such as high tuition costs, long training and a challenging application process. By offering workshops with established health care practitioners from similar backgrounds to theirs, we believe we can open the pipeline for talented young people of color who can make a significant difference in improving health care in the U.S.”

Landry noted that research has found that patients who receive care from physicians of the same race rate their medical visits as more satisfying and report being more engaged in their treatment than do patients who see physicians of other races.

Gillian Barclay, D.D.S., Dr.P.H., vice president of the Aetna Foundation, said, “As our nation’s population becomes increasingly diverse, we need health care providers who have the cultural competency to engage their patients fully with their treatment and ensure good health outcomes. Multiplying the number of men and women from underrepresented minorities is a fundamental strategy to achieving health equity in the United States. The Aetna Foundation is pleased to be the Tour’s founding sponsor and support this innovative initiative as part of our portfolio of programs aimed at developing health care leaders from underrepresented communities.”

The five stops for the inaugural Tour for Diversity in Medicine will be:

Monday, February 20 Hampton University, Hampton, Va.
Tuesday, February 21 Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, N.C.
Wednesday, February 22 South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, S.C.
Thursday, February 23 Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala.
Friday, February 24 Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss.

At each school, about 150 students are expected to participate in the full-day program. Session topics range from the application process and admissions tests to choosing the right specialty to an overview of health disparities. Students will have the opportunity to interact with the presenting physicians, dentists and medical students and hear their stories about how they overcame obstacles to pursue a career as a health care professional.

“Without the assistance of mentors over the years, I would not be a doctor today,” said Kameron Matthews, M.D., J.D., co-director of the Tour for Diversity in Medicine and a family physician in Chicago. “We want to connect students with physicians and dentists who are dedicated to their growth and their future.”

Planning is already underway for two more tours, one in fall 2012 to colleges with large Latino populations and another in spring 2013 to colleges with significant Native American populations.

Landry, Matthews and other health care providers on the Tour for Diversity in Medicine plan to blog, tweet and use other forms of social media on their weeklong February trip to the HBCUs. People are invited to follow on Facebook and on Twitter @Tour4Diversity or visit tour4diversity.org.

The Aetna Foundation supports multiple programs to create a diverse group of health care leaders from today’s young people, including the AcademyHealth/Aetna Foundation Minority Scholars Program, Four Directions Summer Research Program, the Aetna Foundation/National Medical Fellowships Healthcare Leadership Program and the National Academy Foundation.

About the Aetna Foundation

The Aetna Foundation, Inc. is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed $394 million in grants and sponsorships, including $15.6 million in 2010. As a national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who have volunteered more than 2.3 million hours since 2003. Our current giving is focused on addressing the rising rate of adult and childhood obesity in the U.S.; promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care; and advancing integrated health care. For more information, visit www.AetnaFoundation.org.

About Tour for Diversity in Medicine

The Tour for Diversity in Medicine (TDM), a project of Hip Hop Health Inc., seeks to educate inspire and cultivate future physicians of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds by forming local connections in order to fulfill a national need. Conceived by former medical student leaders, TDM will bring premedical enrichment activities to underrepresented minority undergraduate students in order to assist with the diversification of the health professions workforce. TDM is a grassroots effort, with its inaugural tour in February 2012 across five Southern states. Visit tour4diversity.org for more information.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50147461&lang=en

Aetna (NYSE:AET)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024