Eastern Virginia Medical School joined the Virginia-Nebraska alliance, a partnership between four medical institutions -- including the University's -- and five historically black Virginia colleges, Feb. 20 in an effort to increase the number of qualified black students in health professions.
According to an EVMS press release, "With EVMS joining the alliance, Virginia becomes the first state in the nation where all the medical schools have aligned with all the historically black colleges and universities in a joint effort to boost the percentage of minority physicians."
"The purpose is to boost minority student interest and involvement in the health industry ... It's another way of extending African-American students an opportunity," said EVMS Prof. Michael Solhaug, who spearheaded the decision to join the alliance.
Norm Oliver, University Medical School associate dean for diversity, said students selected to participate in the program study at one of the participating medical institutions.
"Approximately 40 students from historically black colleges and universities participated in the University's program last year," Oliver said.
Oliver said the University's program allows students to participate in research projects and science labs at no cost, because their studies are funded by alliance fellowships.
The program is also intended to address the low levels of racial and ethnic diversity -- particularly the lack of minority males -- in medical schools, Oliver added.
According to a release from the University Medical School, 136 students graduated in 2006, four of whom were black. Of those four, all were female. The lack of minority male students in medical schools most likely stems from a "pipeline problem" that starts as early as grade school, Oliver said.
The two-year-old program should not be seen as a failure given these statistics, according to Oliver, since participating students might go on to study medicine at a school not involved with the alliance, or at least to inform others that the opportunity to learn exists.
Oliver added that the problem extends beyond admissions and a good education. He said the lack of hope and sense of alienation in minority communities keeps many from succeeding educationally.
The alliance and the University's program seek to "prime the pipeline," making a professional education valued and considered a realistic possibility in minority communities, Oliver said.
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