BCM: A mosaic of diverse elements

(photos top to bottom) Believing that diversity is an asset, BCM reaches out to students like Physician Assistant student Tiffany Andrews, who pursued marketing, teaching and professional basketball, before coming to BCM; surgery resident Lyssa Neida Ochoa, who came to BCM through its partnership with The University of Texas-Pan American in South Texas; and former business man, Ralf Lukner, now a first-year medical student and 39-year-old father of five.

A mosaic is composed of materials from around the world. Granite from the quarries of Spain, pebbles from the beaches of the Mediterranean and limestone from the mountains of Europe bring life to a work of art. Without each piece, the picture would be incomplete.

The Baylor College of Medicine student body is itself a mosaic, with each individual bringing something unique to the school and the field of medicine.

"Baylor is a microcosm of the society of which these physicians will be a part," said Stephen Greenberg, M.D., Senior Vice President and Dean of Medical Education at BCM.

"Educating a diverse student body benefits society as a whole. Studies have repeatedly shown that physicians are more likely to practice among their own racial and ethnic groups," said James Phillips, M.D., Senior Associate Dean at BCM. "When the medical profession more accurately reflects society as a whole, it is easier to treat patients from different backgrounds with compassion and understanding."

"BCM deserves a lot of credit for supporting this significant change. We have encouraged this shift and have recognized the importance of this demographic and cultural change to the future of our health care system," said Scott Basinger, Ph.D., Associate Dean of The Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences at BCM and member of the admissions committee.

Today's BCM students mirror the College as a whole. A recent survey of BCM students, staff and faculty demonstrated that the top 10 nationalities represented at the school were China, India, Mexico, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines and Turkey. Following close behind Turkey were Russia, Colombia, Italy and Iran. Similarly the students represent a range of ethnicities, age groups, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Their interests and goals are the kinds that BCM educators feel will serve global and local communities alike.

African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans—ethnic and racial groups considered underrepresented in the medical field—make up 25 percent of the U.S. population, but only account for about 12 percent of U.S. medical school graduates, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. By contrast, 22.5 percent of BCM's medical students come from an underrepresented group, an increase of about 34 percent since 1997. Approximately 48 percent of the medical school students are female, and the College's student body has been almost equally split among men and women for the past five years.

Currently, the student body is 8 percent African-American, 13 percent Hispanic, 32 percent Asian-American, 2 percent Native American or Native Alaskan, and 45 percent white. These figures represent a turnaround in the past 40 years. The College's first African-American graduate, Leo Orr, M.D., entered BCM in 1965 and graduated in 1969, certainly a late date for diversifying the student body.

It was in that era that the College's leaders, including then-president Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., recognized that establishing a pipeline of students well prepared in mathematics and the sciences was a crucial element of improving diversity. To achieve that goal, BCM partnered with the Houston Independent School District in 1973 to establish the High School for Health Professions. In 1996, the school was renamed to honor DeBakey as one of its founders and biggest supporters.

Today, the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions is racially diverse. African-Americans make up 36 percent of the student body, Southeast Asian-Americans, 32 percent; Hispanic, 26 percent; Native Americans, 1 percent, and whites, 6 percent. In 2005-2006, nearly all students passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.

Each year, at least 10 DeBakey High School graduates enter the Houston Premedical Academy at the University of Houston. If they maintain their grade point averages, they are promised admittance to BCM after graduating with their bachelor degrees.

Similarly, the Baylor College of Medicine Premedical Honors College at The University of Texas-Pan American creates opportunities for students in South Texas. Since 1994, more than 100 students have matriculated to medical school from this program. Of these, more than 80 percent are Hispanic. Nearly one-third of the Hispanic medical students at BCM matriculate from this program.

"We are strengthening the educational pipeline for Texas students and providing a rich background in science that will help them to access, and succeed in, medical school," said William Thomson, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies.

In 2002, the UT-PanAm Premedical Honors College received the Texas Higher Education Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for exceptional contributions toward "Closing the Gaps" in student participation, student success and academic excellence in Texas. The program has also been replicated in every college and university across the state as a template of the Joint Admission Medical Program, which provides services to support and encourage qualified and economically disadvantaged students to pursue a medical education.

"Baylor's educational outreach initiatives are helping to produce the next generation of leaders in medicine."
–William Thomson, Ph.D.
Deputy Director of the Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies

These students began their journey in a network of BCM-affiliated high schools in South Texas, including the High School for Health Professions, South Texas, in Mercedes; the Science Academy of South Texas in Mercedes; Moody High School Science and Health Center in Corpus Christi; the Business, Education, and Technology Academy of South Texas in Edinburg; the John B. Alexander Magnet for Health and Science in Laredo; and the South Texas Academy of Medical Technology in San Benito.

"Baylor's educational outreach initiatives are helping to produce the next generation of leaders in medicine. They also are assisting the College to fulfill its social contract with Texas by providing opportunities for all students, regardless of background, to become physicians, scientists or allied health professionals. And the strong ties that many of our students from South Texas have to their families, culture and communities contribute to their desire to return home and practice medicine in South Texas," said Thomson.

For those college students who seek a career in science, the Summer Medical and Research Training (SMART) Program since 1989 has provided inspiring summer research opportunities, said Gayle Slaughter, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Graduate Education and the program's leader. Of the 80 to 100 students that enroll in the program each year, about 30 percent come from underrepresented groups. Along with research, workshops and career development activities allow students to learn about their options in the research field after the summer program.

"There must be an increased level of trust between the medical community and underrepresented communities," said Slaughter, "People need to see those with whom they can identify and in whom they can confide. Those students who have positive experiences in the summer programs pass this message along to their communities."

photo of Marissa Gomez-Martinez, M.D., with a patient

STRENGTH THROUGH DIVERSITY 22.5 percent of BCM's medical students come from an under-represented group—African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans—as compared to only about 12 percent of medical school graduates nationally. Initiatives such as BCM's partnership with UT-Pan American in South Texas, from which Marissa Gomez-Martinez, M.D., '02, graduated, contribute greatly to BCM's efforts to have a diversified student body.

"Baylor is nationally recognized for our commitment to diversity and recruiting underrepresented groups," said Phillips.

The support and encouragement does not stop once students are admitted to BCM. Phillips maintains a relationship with the students after they arrive and brings in physicians and other students who have similar backgrounds and experiences to mentor and support the incoming students.

Basinger noted that the medical school and the graduate school population are closer to mimicking the ethnic makeup of the population as a whole.

"This is important in allowing the community to feel closer to the institution. We receive a tremendous amount of support from our community, and our students participate in a wide variety of community outreach projects. It's significant in making the medical school population similar to our community population," said Basinger.

The major influx of international research trainees who recognize that the finest training in the laboratory can be accomplished at BCM is an important part of the school's makeup and its mission, he said. More than 35 percent of graduate students at Baylor are from outside the boundaries of the United States.

"Baylor's multi-focal approach and educational programs at all levels have contributed significantly to the diversity at the school," said Lloyd Michael, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Admissions at BCM.

"Baylor should be proud of its efforts since the 1970s, but it also needs to continue the goal of reaching out to more underrepresented students," said William T. Butler, M.D., Chancellor Emeritus at BCM and architect of much of the diversity impetus at the school during his tenure as President from 1978 through 1996.

Best Minds Best Medicine

Features

Spotlight

Briefs

Volume 4, Issue 1, Summer 2008


	BCM: A mosaic of diverse elements by Dipali Pathak (photos top to bottom) Believing that diversity is an asset, BCM reaches out to students like Physician Assistant student Tiffany Andrews, who pursued marketing, teaching and professional basketball, before coming to BCM; surgery resident Lyssa Neida Ochoa, who came to BCM through its partnership with The University of Texas-Pan American in South Texas; and former business man, Ralf Lukner, now a first-year medical student and 39-year-old father of five. A mosaic is composed of materials from around the world. Granite from the quarries of Spain, pebbles from the beaches of the Mediterranean and limestone from the mountains of Europe bring life to a work of art. Without each piece, the picture would be incomplete. The Baylor College of Medicine student body is itself a mosaic, with each individual bringing something unique to the school and the field of medicine. "Baylor is a microcosm of the society of which these physicians will be a part," said Stephen Greenberg, M.D., Senior Vice President and Dean of Medical Education at BCM. "Educating a diverse student body benefits society as a whole. Studies have repeatedly shown that physicians are more likely to practice among their own racial and ethnic groups," said James Phillips, M.D., Senior Associate Dean at BCM. "When the medical profession more accurately reflects society as a whole, it is easier to treat patients from different backgrounds with compassion and understanding." "BCM deserves a lot of credit for supporting this significant change. We have encouraged this shift and have recognized the importance of this demographic and cultural change to the future of our health care system," said Scott Basinger, Ph.D., Associate Dean of The Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences at BCM and member of the admissions committee. Today's BCM students mirror the College as a whole. A recent survey of BCM students, staff and faculty demonstrated that the top 10 nationalities represented at the school were China, India, Mexico, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines and Turkey. Following close behind Turkey were Russia, Colombia, Italy and Iran. Similarly the students represent a range of ethnicities, age groups, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Their interests and goals are the kinds that BCM educators feel will serve global and local communities alike. African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans—ethnic and racial groups considered underrepresented in the medical field—make up 25 percent of the U.S. population, but only account for about 12 percent of U.S. medical school graduates, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. By contrast, 22.5 percent of BCM's medical students come from an underrepresented group, an increase of about 34 percent since 1997. Approximately 48 percent of the medical school students are female, and the College's student body has been almost equally split among men and women for the past five years. Currently, the student body is 8 percent African-American, 13 percent Hispanic, 32 percent Asian-American, 2 percent Native American or Native Alaskan, and 45 percent white. These figures represent a turnaround in the past 40 years. The College's first African-American graduate, Leo Orr, M.D., entered BCM in 1965 and graduated in 1969, certainly a late date for diversifying the student body. It was in that era that the College's leaders, including then-president Michael E. DeBakey, M.D., recognized that establishing a pipeline of students well prepared in mathematics and the sciences was a crucial element of improving diversity. To achieve that goal, BCM partnered with the Houston Independent School District in 1973 to establish the High School for Health Professions. In 1996, the school was renamed to honor DeBakey as one of its founders and biggest supporters. Today, the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions is racially diverse. African-Americans make up 36 percent of the student body, Southeast Asian-Americans, 32 percent; Hispanic, 26 percent; Native Americans, 1 percent, and whites, 6 percent. In 2005-2006, nearly all students passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test. Each year, at least 10 DeBakey High School graduates enter the Houston Premedical Academy at the University of Houston. If they maintain their grade point averages, they are promised admittance to BCM after graduating with their bachelor degrees. Similarly, the Baylor College of Medicine Premedical Honors College at The University of Texas-Pan American creates opportunities for students in South Texas. Since 1994, more than 100 students have matriculated to medical school from this program. Of these, more than 80 percent are Hispanic. Nearly one-third of the Hispanic medical students at BCM matriculate from this program. "We are strengthening the educational pipeline for Texas students and providing a rich background in science that will help them to access, and succeed in, medical school," said William Thomson, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies. In 2002, the UT-PanAm Premedical Honors College received the Texas Higher Education Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for exceptional contributions toward "Closing the Gaps" in student participation, student success and academic excellence in Texas. The program has also been replicated in every college and university across the state as a template of the Joint Admission Medical Program, which provides services to support and encourage qualified and economically disadvantaged students to pursue a medical education. "Baylor's educational outreach initiatives are helping to produce the next generation of leaders in medicine." –William Thomson, Ph.D. Deputy Director of the Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies These students began their journey in a network of BCM-affiliated high schools in South Texas, including the High School for Health Professions, South Texas, in Mercedes; the Science Academy of South Texas in Mercedes; Moody High School Science and Health Center in Corpus Christi; the Business, Education, and Technology Academy of South Texas in Edinburg; the John B. Alexander Magnet for Health and Science in Laredo; and the South Texas Academy of Medical Technology in San Benito. "Baylor's educational outreach initiatives are helping to produce the next generation of leaders in medicine. They also are assisting the College to fulfill its social contract with Texas by providing opportunities for all students, regardless of background, to become physicians, scientists or allied health professionals. And the strong ties that many of our students from South Texas have to their families, culture and communities contribute to their desire to return home and practice medicine in South Texas," said Thomson. For those college students who seek a career in science, the Summer Medical and Research Training (SMART) Program since 1989 has provided inspiring summer research opportunities, said Gayle Slaughter, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Graduate Education and the program's leader. Of the 80 to 100 students that enroll in the program each year, about 30 percent come from underrepresented groups. Along with research, workshops and career development activities allow students to learn about their options in the research field after the summer program. "There must be an increased level of trust between the medical community and underrepresented communities," said Slaughter, "People need to see those with whom they can identify and in whom they can confide. Those students who have positive experiences in the summer programs pass this message along to their communities." STRENGTH THROUGH DIVERSITY 22.5 percent of BCM's medical students come from an under-represented group—African-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans—as compared to only about 12 percent of medical school graduates nationally. Initiatives such as BCM's partnership with UT-Pan American in South Texas, from which Marissa Gomez-Martinez, M.D., '02, graduated, contribute greatly to BCM's efforts to have a diversified student body. "Baylor is nationally recognized for our commitment to diversity and recruiting underrepresented groups," said Phillips. The support and encouragement does not stop once students are admitted to BCM. Phillips maintains a relationship with the students after they arrive and brings in physicians and other students who have similar backgrounds and experiences to mentor and support the incoming students. Basinger noted that the medical school and the graduate school population are closer to mimicking the ethnic makeup of the population as a whole. "This is important in allowing the community to feel closer to the institution. We receive a tremendous amount of support from our community, and our students participate in a wide variety of community outreach projects. It's significant in making the medical school population similar to our community population," said Basinger. The major influx of international research trainees who recognize that the finest training in the laboratory can be accomplished at BCM is an important part of the school's makeup and its mission, he said. More than 35 percent of graduate students at Baylor are from outside the boundaries of the United States. "Baylor's multi-focal approach and educational programs at all levels have contributed significantly to the diversity at the school," said Lloyd Michael, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Admissions at BCM. "Baylor should be proud of its efforts since the 1970s, but it also needs to continue the goal of reaching out to more underrepresented students," said William T. Butler, M.D., Chancellor Emeritus at BCM and architect of much of the diversity impetus at the school during his tenure as President from 1978 through 1996.		Search all issues: Best Minds Best Medicine BCM Campaign Seeks to Raise $1 Billion Attracting Stars: McNairs Give $100 Million To Recruit Top Scientists Lester and Sue Smith Gift Tackles Breast Cancer in the Clinic and Lab Two Alumni Share Commitment to Scholarship Support Features Taking Personalized Medicine to New Heights Creating Culture While Building Walls Changing Complexion of Medicine Spotlight Click for your Doctor: New eVisits Trade Exam Room for Inbox Kjersti Aagaard: 2007 Winner of NIH New Innovator Award Getting World-Class Breast Cancer Care...With or Without Insurance James Lupski's Tenacity Founds New Field of Genomic Medicine Briefs BCM Named National Diabetes Research Center DeBakey Takes the Gold The Trash is no Place for Expired Medication Removing Brain Tumors Through the Nose SPORE Spawns New Lymphoma Efforts The Coffee-Cholesterol Connection BCM Campaign puts Personalized Medicine on the Fast-Track

	Volume 4, Issue 1, Summer 2008



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