Background
Founded in 2013, Black Men in White Coats is a strategic initiative designed to increase diversity in the medical workforce. They are doing this by increasing awareness of the lack of diversity in healthcare with a specific emphasis on black males, providing programmatic medical field exposure for youth and adolescents, and providing mentorship opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in healthcare.
Racial/ethnic minorities are severely underrepresented in medical school, thus underrepresented in medical professions. Both entrance and graduation rates are significantly lower for Black/African Americans, Latinos, and Native/Indigenous/Pacific Islander. Of the minority students accepted to US Medical Schools in 2018/19 AY, 7.1% were Black (8.4% applied), 6.2% were Hispanic/Latino, and 0.3% were Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native combined. Additionally, the US is expected to have a physician shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034 (AAMC 2019). Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) has been committed to Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education for over 70 years. KPNC’s commitment to ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity is reflected in the pathway and residency programs available across our region.
Goals
BMiWCx Youth Summits are locally organized events that bring healthcare professionals together for the single purpose of providing underrepresented minority youth with exposure to the medical field. These summits are independently organized by leaders within the community. They educate students, parents, teachers, and community leaders on what it takes to become a medical professional while allowing them to establish and expand their networks. Kaiser Permanente Undergraduate Medical Education seeks to achieve these goals through robust discussion topics and activities with dynamic speakers and diverse panelists, educational breakout sessions covering an array of topics including networking skills, study skills workshops, total health, support for parents, and educational guidance from local counselors.
Event Details
Date: April 1, 2023
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland, CA 94619
Audience: Middle school, high school, college, post-bacc students, parents
The agenda will be posted here once it is finalized.
Participation
We are looking for interested UME/GME program faculty and residents to attend the networking lunch to interact and speak with the students and parents.
If you or other program representatives are interested in participating in this event, please complete the form below by January 31st, 2023.