Institutional and Faculty Partnerships to Promote Learner Preparedness for Health Professions Education

Abstract

By the year 2060, it is projected that 57% of the US population will be members of minority groups, with no one group being the majority. While there is increasing diversity of the population, there remain significant disparities in morbidity and mortality affecting minority groups, and persistent low numbers of underrepresented students in the health professions. Increasing the numbers of underrepresented minority students in health care and decreasing the disparity gap have been a priority for many institutions. Increasing diversity requires an approach that not only involves health professions schools but also involves undergraduate institutions, faculty, and other professionals who provide pre-health training to students. In 2018, a group of academic medicine leaders convened the Innovators, Collaborators, and Leaders conference with faculty at institutions across the state of North Carolina to discuss ways to improve learner preparedness for health professions education and increase numbers of underrepresented students pursuing health careers. In this manuscript, the authors share results from the conference and how institutional and faculty partnerships can promote learner preparedness for health professions education.

Centering Health Equity Through the Social Determinants of Health, Interprofessional Education, and Sustainable Partnerships With Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Envisioning Upstream and Downstream Impacts

“…HBCUs have a history of partnering with other nonminority serving institutions (MSIs) and developing community and/or faith-based initiatives to address disparities in health and health care (Campbell et al, 2020;Hudson et al, 2021;McWhirter et al, 2003;Patterson, 2021;Taylor et al, 2020;Treadwell et al, 2009). While HBCUs Source: 1 1920 census data (United States Census Bureau, 1922) and 2 2020 census data (Jones et al, 2021).…”

“…HBCUs have a history of partnering with other non-minority serving institutions (MSIs) and developing community and/or faith-based initiatives to address disparities in health and health care (Campbell et al, 2020; Hudson et al, 2021; McWhirter et al, 2003; Patterson, 2021; Taylor et al, 2020; Treadwell et al, 2009). While HBCUs have been historically and systemically marginalized, underfunded, and under-resourced (Hollis-Staten et al, 2012; Waite et al, 2023), they have successfully graduated outstanding, world-renowned leaders who are social justice advocates.…”

“…HBCUs have historically placed a strong emphasis on providing service to underserved populations, and in that way, contribute to the number of healthcare professionals of minoritized backgrounds (Campbell et al, 2020). Black healthcare professionals often encounter racism that impacts their ability to practice as well as their physical and mental well-being (American Nurses Association, 2022).…”

“We talk teeth”: Exploring faculty EDIA (equity, diversity, inclusivity, and access) capacity in dental education

“…Recommendations for improving EDIA are discussed in the wider health education literature but are concentrated at a structural level. 14,[17][18][19] Absent from discussions of EDIA in dental education are the voices of faculty members themselves. How dental faculty perceive, enact, and engage with EDIA in these settings remains an underexplored area that may inform development priorities to improve EDIA capacity.…”

“…Currently, there is limited literature on faculty EDIA capacity within dental education and minimal evidence to inform barriers to development. Recommendations for improving EDIA are discussed in the wider health education literature but are concentrated at a structural level 14,17–19 . Absent from discussions of EDIA in dental education are the voices of faculty members themselves.…”