Partnerships for Diversity in Biomedical Science (Phase II)

Abstract

The primary purpose of the proposed grant is to support the dissemination and institutionalization of a model of educational partnerships among academic medical centers undergraduate colleges and local school systems. This model was created under the umbrella of AAMC’s Project 3000 by 2000. With support from SEPA during 1994–1997 we will consolidate and extend the accomplishments we achieved under our original SEPA 1991–1994 (SEPA-I). In 1991 the AAMC began Project 3000 by 2000.

The activities included in this proposal support Project 3000 by 2000 but are not designed to only recruit students for medical school. Minority underrepresentation in medical schools largely is due to the same fundamental problem that causes minority underrepresentation in health-related PhD programs: an insufficient number of minority students receive adequate academic preparation-especially in the sciences-prior to college. The projects proposed here are designed to address this basic problem and hence promote greater racial and ethnic diversity in all of the health sciences.

Eight programmatic activities are proposed five of which were initiated during SEPA I: (1) The annual publication of the Secondary School Science Minority Achievement Registry (S 3 MAR), a directory of educational programs for minority students interested in the health sciences and a registry of the students participating in them; (2) NNHeSPA News, the quarterly newsletter of the National Network for Health Science Partnerships ( NNHeSPA); (4) An update of the Project 3000 by 2000 Technical Assistance Manual (Volume II); (5) Presentations to a wide variety of groups and strategically targeted customized data analysis. New projects include: (6) NNHeSPA On Line! a computer bulletin board accessible through the Internet to facilitate ongoing communication among precollege college and graduate health science educators in NNHeSPA; (7) S 3 MAR Grapevine a quarterly newsletter for high school students listed in the S 3 MAR; and (8) Intensive regional campaigns to promote health science partnerships in California Texas and the South-three areas of the country with large minority populations and severe problems of underrepresentation.