While the absolute number of medical school matriculants in the United States has drastically increased between 1997 and 2017, the percentage of matriculants who are defined as Black men has decreased by 16%. This equity gap will continue to widen without sustained, systemic intervention that focuses on increasing access and retention for underrepresented minorities in the medical field. BMiWC Emory has focused on addressing this gap by strengthening our Support and Outreach pillars through various initiatives.
We actualize our Outreach Pillar by hosting symposiums in the greater Atlanta community for underrepresented premedical students, and send our members to underserved elementary, middle and high schools across Atlanta to show young students doctors who share their background.
Through our Support Pillar, BMiWC ensures that its members at Emory do not feel isolated by creating a longitudinal STEP 1 program to support M2s who are preparing to take the exam, have monthly virtual check-ins to ensure that our members have a safe space to discuss their experiences, failures, and successes throughout medical school, and host in-person kickbacks to relax, eat, and catch up on each other’s lives.
In the 2023 Independent Student Analysis Survey that queried facets of medical education for Emory University School of Medicine entering classes 2019-2022, over half of survey respondents who identified as Black required need-based aid from Emory. No other demographic comes close to demonstrating as much need-based aid intervention. By donating to the BMiWC initiative, you become a changemaker for URiMs in medicine, the Atlanta community, and the world. 100% of your donation goes toward the scholarship formation for incoming medical students who have demonstrated longitudinal investment in addressing health gaps and who are Underrepresented in Medicine. Your donation directly addresses the health inequity in our own communities, and every dollar fights to level the playing field for these young professionals who face a disproportionate financial burden in completing their medical education. By supporting future physicians already invested in serving the underserved in their career, your donation supports both this immediate generation and generations to come.
Any amount of money provided will go a long way in supporting health equity for our learners. Anywhere from $15 to get a student their first blood pressure cuff, to $670 which is the total fee for STEP 1 registration. Our goal for our inaugural year in joining Giving Week 2036 is to ensure that students from underrepresented in medicine backgrounds get any level of support to propel them to meet the needs of patients across Atlanta and the world.
