Oakwood University and Ross University School of Medicine Partner to Increase Physician Diversity in US
11 November 2019 | Oakwood University and Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) have entered into a partnership aimed at helping more African Americans to attend medical school. According to a Business Wire news story, African American currently only make up six percent of American physicians.
The educational pathway program makes it easier for students at Oakwood University, an Adventist-run historically black institution, to study medicine at RUSM.
Full tuition for the first semester of medical school will be given to qualified Oakwood students that earn acceptance into RUSM.
According to the Business Wire story, Oakwood has consistently been a top producer of black students that are accepted and go on to medical school.
“We engage this hopeful relationship with Ross University School of Medicine on behalf of interested Oakwood students. Our students will join the generations that have been blessed through their work,” said Oakwood University President Leslie Pollard.
“African-American doctors are woefully underrepresented in the physician workforce, leading fewer African Americans to see a doctor,” said RUSM Dean and Chancellor, William F. Owen, Jr., M.D., FACP. “This has significant negative healthcare outcomes in communities already prone to high rates of chronic diseases. Working with Oakwood and other HBCUs, using novel student engagements, validated support programs and senior-level commitments to success, we’re working to address that long overdue challenge to increase the diversity of our nation’s physicians.”
Oakwood University, a historically Black Adventist institution, is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC). It is located in Huntsville, Alabama and enrolls about 1700 students.
Ross University School of Medicine is an institution of Adtalem Global Education a global education company with its headquarters in the United States. RUSM is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions.
