Contact: Heather Woolwine
843.792.7669
woolwinh@musc.edu
July 13, 2007
CHARLESTON -- The Medical University of South Carolina has responded to the racial divide in health care by narrowing the gap on health disparities in clinical and educational settings.
MUSCís six-year old initiatives have increased student diversity and retention rates nearly fivefold, which also has improved the balance of racial and ethnic minorities among its health care providers.
Backed by MUSCís College of Medicine (COM) Dean Jerry Reves, M.D., Deborah Deas, M.D., co-associate dean for COM admissions, developed programs that have made MUSC a national model for diversifying health care education and clinical care.
Deas evaluated the schoolís admissions process, and offered recommendations to improve the attrition rate that focused on timely and effective communications and personalized support. In addition, she established the Student Ambassadors program in 2001 to assign newly-accepted students to current medical students who serve as mentors by answering questions and sharing experiences.
Within a year, the collegeís overall attrition rate decreased from 50 percent to 9 percent among minority students --- and 30 percent to 12 percent overall.
The success rate not only reflects the results of focused achievements but also a collegial commitment between faculty, staff and students that has never compromised the medical schoolís program or standards, said Deas. Meanwhile, she also developed a monthly mentoring program, Mentoring Ensures Medical Success (MEMS), to assist minority medical students. Deas is among three black faculty mentors who meet regularly with participants to discuss a variety of issues.
"We wanted to find ways to help students learn how to effectively transition into the medical school environment, plus possess subtle bits of information and professional knowledge that would be beneficial to them," Deas said.
With Revesí support, Deas also formed a diversity committee to establish a collegewide diversity plan that would serve as a road map for the 25 departments within the medical college. In turn, each of the departments was charged with developing its own diversity plans and initiatives. Reves tracks the progress of diversity throughout the college.
"The face of MUSC faculty and house staff has noticeably changed," Deas said. "When Dr. Reves joined MUSC, there were only 16 underrepresented minority resident-physicians and fellows. Today, there are 36 minority residents and fellows. In 2001, there were only 23 minority faculty members. Today, there are 57 minority faculty members within the college."
Other initiatives of the Diversity Council includes a new mentoring and education program with Charleston County middle and high schools that support a physician career pipeline program to introduce careers in medicine and provide admissions guidance to students, especially minority students.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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