Making the Rounds, Episode 4
Despite efforts by medical schools, foundations, and the government to increase diversity in the physician pipeline, the number of Black men in medicine has remained virtually stagnant since 1978. This stagnation has serious implications for patient care, since a wealth of research has shown that Black patients receive more effective care from Black doctors.
In this episode of “Beyond the White Coat: Making the Rounds,” we explore the issues at the root of this crisis and discuss how some organizations are meeting the challenge. Clarence Fluker, AAMC director of community engagement, talks with Norma Poll-Hunter, PhD, senior director of the AAMC’s workforce diversity portfolio; Malcolm Woodland, PhD, co-founder and director of Young Doctors DC; and André Smith, a student studying for his master’s degree in health sciences at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, and a member of the Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine steering committee sponsored by the AAMC and the National Medical Association.
Episode Guests:
Norma Poll-Hunter, PhD, is the senior director of the workforce diversity portfolio in equity, diversity, and inclusion at the AAMC. In this role, she leads a portfolio of career development programs with a focus on diversity and inclusion across the medical education continuum. She serves as the deputy director for the Summer Health Professions Education Program, a national pipeline program to increase diversity in the health professions. Prior to the AAMC, Dr. Poll-Hunter practiced as a bilingual psychologist at a regional hospital in upstate New York. Following receipt of her BA from Lehman College, City University of New York, Dr. Poll-Hunter earned her PhD in counseling psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York.
Malcolm Woodland, PhD, is the co-founder and director of Young Doctors DC, a mentoring, education, and pipeline to health careers program for Black boys and young men in Washington, D.C. Dr. Woodland is also the chief psychologist and chair of clinical research at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Prior to his current position, Dr. Woodland served as an American Educational Research Association fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Howard University and completed his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo College in Mississippi.
André Smith is a 2020 graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he majored in biological sciences and minored in chemistry and society and health. He is currently studying for his master’s degree in health sciences at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He aspires to be an orthopedic surgeon. Mr. Smith is a member of the Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine steering committee sponsored by the AAMC and the National Medical Association. The Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine is a networking community that aims to increase the representation of Black men in medicine.
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You Might Also Be Interested In:
- Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine, AAMC 2015
- AAMC, NMA Announce Black Action Collaborative, August 3, 2020
- Young Doctors DC