Five Philly-area medical schools join UPenn mentoring initiative to build a diverse pipeline of future doctors

by Sarah Gantz
Published Mar. 20, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET Philadelphia Inquirer 

A University of Pennsylvania initiative to increase the number of doctors from racial groups underrepresented in medicine has expanded to five other medical schools in the Philadelphia area.

The Alliance of Minority Physicians has worked for 12 years to recruit and mentor residents from underrepresented groups at Penn and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The program expanded last year to mentor medical students earlier in their careers at Temple, Jefferson, Drexel, PCOM, and Cooper, as well as Penn.

The new initiative, called Pathways to Excellence in Medicine, is part of Penn’s effort to improve diversity within its medical school and, ultimately, the physician workforce. Research has found that patients respond better to treatment when they share a similar background with their doctor, so a diverse physician workforce is critical to improving care in underserved communities.
Read More: https://www.inquirer.com/health/penn-alliance-minority-physicians-mentoring-program-20240320.html