How Undergraduate Programs Can Boost Minority Success in Medical School

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the AAMC or its members.

Thirty years ago, African American students were failing in science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). As we looked for ways to improve student success, we were fortunate that Baltimore philanthropist Robert Meyerhoff, who had a special concern about the plight of black males in America, took an interest in our work.  

With support from the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Foundation, UMBC launched the Meyerhoff Scholars Program in 1989. Based on a holistic approach to educating black men, the program provides academic, social, and financial support to ensure these students succeed in college and continue on to doctoral programs. Our goal has been that they engage in research careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and medicine, where they are desperately needed. 

Bob Meyerhoff insisted that the program focus on black males in its first year, and we began with 19 black male college freshmen. The program has since bloomed and is now open to all students. During the 2015–2016 academic year, the program’s 270 students were 57 percent African American, 15 percent Caucasian, 15 percent Asian, 12 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent Native American.  

Today, UMBC is among the top 10 baccalaureate institutions for graduating African American students who go on to earn PhDs in the natural sciences and engineering, the only predominantly white institution in this category. Meyerhoff alumni are more than five times more likely to graduate from or be enrolled in a STEM PhD or MD-PhD program as students who were accepted to the Meyerhoff program but did not attend. And UMBC is one of three predominantly white institutions in the top 10 for graduating black students who eventually earn PhDs in life sciences.

Table 1. Top 10 U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions of 2005-2014 black doctorate recipients in the natural sciences and engineering, by institutional control, 2010 Carnegie Classification, and HBCU status

Source: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2014 Survey of Earned Doctorates, Special Tabulation (May 2016).

Table 2. Top 10 U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions of 2005-2014 black doctorate recipients in the life sciences, by institutional control, 2010 Carnegie Classification, and HBCU status

Source: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2014 Survey of Earned Doctorates, Special Tabulation (May 2016).

Behind Meyerhoff’s success

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads identified significant underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans in the sciences and engineering. Published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2011, the report found that most underrepresented minority students left STEM majors before completing a college degree and recommended comprehensive support for minority undergraduates in these fields—even as we also support K–12 academic preparation. 

But the report drove home another key point when it found that most whites and Asians were also not succeeding. All undergraduate students pursuing medical school or graduate programs in STEM fields begin with introductory courses in biology or chemistry, known universally as “weed out courses.” Two-thirds of students of all races, including those who are high achievers, leave STEM within their first two years, largely because the “weed out courses” are not structured to support student success.  

Our program is successful in part because of its core principle: the university is responsible for supporting student success, not weeding students out. Two of the program’s key components are recruiting top students and setting high expectations. We have a summer bridge program to help high school students transition to college, and once there, we provide them with academic support, including advising, study groups, and tutoring. The program’s focus on research—including summer lab internships and community service opportunities—contributes to our students’ success. 

“As a society, we face a particular challenge in the shortage of black males in medicine ... We must create more programs that emphasize the importance of mentorship, student research, and a sense of community in educating African American undergraduates.”

Many faculty are involved in the program. One of them, Michael Summers, PhD, an HHMI investigator and member of the National Academy of Sciences, speaks annually to high school students considering the program. He relates how significant racial/ethnic health disparities persist and that African American research scientists are the ones most likely to tackle diseases that disproportionately affect the black community. 

The rigorous evaluation of the Meyerhoff program has demonstrated the importance of mentorship, student research, and a sense of community to student success. These components help students develop a vision of themselves based on high expectations. Evaluating the program has been important since its inception, both for making continuous improvement and for supporting proof of concept. The latter has led to funding from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to adapt the program for Pennsylvania State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  

Meeting the diversity challenge

We focus on producing students who will continue their education and earn PhDs and MD-PhDs. There is an urgent need for diversity among doctorate holders in these fields, and our program underwriters—donors, foundations, and federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health—have required an emphasis on PhDs. We have not identified similar financial support to educate and train MDs.

Nevertheless, some Meyerhoff scholars decide to go on only to medical school. UMBC currently ranks 25th on the list of undergraduate schools for African Americans who earn MD or MD-PhD degrees. About 10 African American graduates of UMBC earn an MD or MD-PhD annually, and approximately one-third of them are male. We would only need to produce five more per year to be in the top 10.  A concerted effort and deliberate approach could double or triple these numbers.

Table 3. Top 14 U.S. baccalaureate-origin institutions of 2011-2015 black or African American graduates in MD-PhD program, by institutional control, 2010 Carnegie Classification, and HBCU status

Source: AAMC Data Warehouse, Special Tabulation (May 2016).

UMBC has excelled in producing MD-PhDs by encouraging students interested in medicine to also consider research careers. Meyerhoff alumni have graduated from the country’s leading MD-PhD programs. Some have moved to faculty positions at medical schools—for example, four black males are now on the faculty at Duke University School of Medicine, three with MD-PhDs and one with an MD-JD.

As a society, we face a particular challenge in the shortage of black males in medicine. To address this, we must identify institutions, such as UMBC, that have been successful in educating African American undergraduates. We must create a broad partnership of undergraduate institutions, medical schools, professional societies, federal agencies, and philanthropic organizations to support programs that can provide student financial assistance, program coordination, advising and mentoring, tutoring, test preparation, and internships. 

Meyerhoff alumni now number more than 1,000, 70 percent of whom are African American. Among our alumni, 350 are currently enrolled in graduate or professional schools, including 42 in MD and 41 in MD-PhD programs. Our graduates have earned 236 PhDs, including 45 MD-PhDs, 154 MDs, and 14 other professional degrees in health care. In addition, 271 of our alumni have earned master’s degrees, mainly in engineering and computer science. 

The ultimate goal is to help these students eventually improve the health of African American and other minority communities, as well as the nation as a whole.