If you believe Black lives matter, join us in training more Black doctors

21,863 students started medical school in the U.S. in 2019.

1,626 were Black.

619 were Black men.

It’s a striking disparity in a year where health disparities are already all too common.

As we’ve grappled with the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice, the events of 2020 have shined a light on health disparities that have existed for decades – or centuries. Black Americans ages 35-64 years were already 50 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than white Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control. They are twice as likely to die from heart disease.

Now, Black Americans are more likely to be infected from COVID-19. And, they are more likely to die from COVID-19.

Black lives matter, and that means correcting the disparities in health care and outcomes must be a priority. One place to start is educating more Black doctors.

Cultural competency makes a difference. When Black or other minority patients receive care from a doctor of the same race or ethnicity, having lived experience in common helps to build trust. In turn, trust can lead to better engagement, more compliance with health care recommendations, and ultimately, better outcomes.

The problem? While Black doctors care for a higher proportion of Black patients in their practices, they account for only 5 percent of the physician workforce, and not enough students are filling the pipeline. This is not a new challenge–the number of Black men in medical schools has been unchanged for more than 40 years, in spite of increases in overall college graduation rates.

Among the 155 accredited medical schools in the U.S., the four medical schools at historically black colleges and universities – Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Howard University College of Medicine, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science – are producing the majority of the nation’s Black physicians. However, there is limited capacity. Many more qualified applicants could attend medical school and residency programs if given the opportunity.

That’s why Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health are creating a joint undergraduate and graduate medical education program to train the next generation of culturally competent health clinicians and researchers.

Morehouse School of Medicine is one of America’s leading educators of primary care physicians. CommonSpirit Health is one of America’s largest health systems with locations in 21 states from coast to coast. Our historic partnership represents a 10-year, $100 million initiative.

The new program will ensure a minimum of 300 additional Black and other underrepresented providers complete their residency training annually and support a pipeline of students recruited from communities that have a historical physician shortage. To help achieve these goals, we will establish five new regional medical school campuses and graduate medical education programs in at least 10 markets with CommonSpirit Health facilities, to be announced in spring 2021.

We are laying the foundation for patients to have more access to Black doctors and for Black medical students and graduates to gain community-based experience that they need to be successful in their work. However, the work doesn’t stop there. We will share what we learn, creating a pathway for like-minded healthcare organizations across the nation to follow.

The collaboration will extend to addressing cultural competency and developing research programs to impact illnesses that disproportionately affect minority and underserved communities. Morehouse School of Medicine, a recent recipient of a $40 million COVID-19 Resiliency Network grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has been at the forefront of biomedical and clinical research initiatives to address diseases that disproportionately affect minority communities.

Our combined strengths and expertise uniquely equip us to address health inequities magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we will foster a culturally competent system of care that includes testing, care delivery, and vaccine allocation, directed at the most vulnerable populations to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in racial and ethnic communities.

To launch the program, Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health are contributing $21 million in seed money over the first two years. Our goal is to spearhead a 10-year, $100 million initiative.

We invite all to join us to champion similar initiatives across the health care spectrum. We will share the learnings from our partnership to create a pathway for health care organizations across the nation to follow. If you believe in the creation and advancement of health equity in Black and other underserved communities, we need your support.

Now, more than ever, we believe society needs unique partnerships like ours. It’s our mission to help show the way to reducing health disparities in vulnerable communities, and, in turn, make all communities stronger.

About the Author:

Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, is the President and Dean of Morehouse School of Medicine. Lloyd Dean is the President and CEO of CommonSpirit Health.