A baccalaureate-MD program for students from medically underserved communities: 15-year outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Equity
• Pipeline Programs

Background:

• Liaison Committee on Medical Education standard MS-8 mandates partnerships to enhance medical education accessibility for diverse applicants.
• South Texas is a predominantly Latino and medically underserved region, highlighting a need for targeted interventions.
• Academic partnerships are crucial for addressing disparities in medical school admissions and physician workforce diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a BS-MD program on increasing medical education access for underrepresented minorities in South Texas.
• To assess the program's success in matriculating students to medical school and producing practicing physicians.
• To determine the program's contribution to diversifying the physician workforce, particularly in underserved areas.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal partnership between Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) established the Premedical Honors College (PHC) in 1994.
• The PHC offered a BS-MD program designed to recruit and support students from South Texas.
• Data collected from program inception (1994) through 2008 tracked matriculation, graduation, and career placement of participants.

Main Results:

• The PHC successfully matriculated 134 students to medical school by 2008, averaging 12 per year since 1998.
• Of matriculants, 82% were from underrepresented minority backgrounds and 79% were Latino.
• The program produced 65 MDs, with 85% being Latino, and 20 physicians completing residency, 12 practicing in or near South Texas.

Conclusions:

• Academic pipeline programs, like the PHC, are effective strategies for increasing diversity in medical education.
• Partnerships can significantly improve access to medical careers for students from underserved, predominantly minority regions.
• The program demonstrates a successful model for diversifying the physician workforce and addressing regional healthcare needs.