From: Susan Guthrie
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 10:08 AM
Subject: UA College of Medicine Among Top Ten Medical School for Hispanics

National Publication Names UA College of Medicine

Among Top Ten Medical Schools for Hispanics

 

From: George Humphrey, (520) 626-7301                            Sept. 21, 2005

            Susan Guthrie (602) 631-6555

           

The University of Arizona College of Medicine has been named among the top 10 medical schools for Hispanics by Hispanic Business Magazine.  In its September issue, the publication ranked the UA College of Medicine seventh in the nation for Hispanic students.

 

Methodology for ranking included the number and percentage of Hispanic students; the number and type of programs and services geared toward recruiting and mentoring Hispanic students; the student retention rate; and the school’s standing in U.S. News and World Report rankings.  This year, the magazine also interviewed students and recent graduates.  (Note: the UA’s Rogers College of Law was ranked fourth-best law school in the nation for Hispanics.)

 

For many years, the UA College of Medicine has offered a variety of academic, professional and social support services for Hispanic medical students.  The College of Medicine successfully recruits Hispanic students by working with many partners beginning early in the academic “pipeline.”  Undergraduates and medical students serve as “health career ambassadors,” visiting elementary and middle schools to present interactive health sciences programs to youth.  As the students progress through high school, summer program opportunities such as Med-Start, Maricopa Med-Start and the Latina Institute provide academic enrichment and health career exploration.  The UA College of Medicine reaches more than 5,000 students each year to encourage involvement in the health professions and to provide opportunities for these students.

 

The Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence

The Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence, established in 1999 through a federal grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration and funding from the UA College of Medicine Dean’s Office, works with administration, student affairs, admissions and the College of Medicine Office of Minority Affairs to increase the number of Hispanic applicants, promote careers in research and academic medicine and provide support and mentoring from Hispanic faculty members.

 

The Office of Minority Affairs

The College of Medicine Office of Minority Affairs has the dual mission of diversifying the health professions workforce through recruiting more individuals of ethnic minority background and raising awareness of all health care professionals about the importance of culture in health care.  Some of the services offered include early outreach and recruitment activities such as career day presentations, shadowing experiences, and interviewing skills workshops.  Office staff members work closely with F.A.C.E.S. (Fostering and Achieving Cultural Equity and Sensitivity) an organization founded by the Office of Minority Affairs to support pre-health students in Arizona

 

Med-Start

A program for high school students who have completed their junior year, Med-Start introduces high school students to career opportunities in the health professions and college life through an intensive five-week summer academic enrichment experience on the UA campus. This program is open to minority, rural or economically disadvantaged students who have a strong interest in a health care profession. 

 

Maricopa Med-Start

The Maricopa Med-Start (M2) Summer Program is a collaborative effort among The University of Arizona Health Sciences, Arizona State University, Mesa Community College and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.

 

Summer Medical Education Program

Because the UA is the only publicly funded medical school in Arizona, it strives to serve the needs of the state’s diverse population. The UA SMEP, which targets Arizona residents as participants, primarily is intended for students from minority groups that continue to be underrepresented in American medicine including African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans (American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians).

 

Fostering and Achieving Cultural Equity and Sensitivity in the Health Professions

The F.A.C.E.S. Internship is an undergraduate course for students enrolled at either the UA or Pima Community College.  The internship provides pre-health undergraduate students with valuable clinical experience, allows students to explore their career options, provides exposure to various cultural aspects in the health care system, and targets students who are interested in all allied health professions.

 

Migrant Health and Education Program

This program, primarily coordinated by pre-health students, organizes health screenings for medically underserved rural and urban communities in Maricopa County. The main health screening, in partnership with the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Maricopa Integrated Health System, involves mammograms and clinical breast exams on-site to women of these communities. The monthly screenings provide students excellent opportunities in community health, medical Spanish, and clinic organization.

 

-----

 

The UA College of Medicine, recently ranked among the nation’s top 60 medical schools by U.S. News and World Report, has seen its total annual research funding grow from $345,000 in 1967 to $125 million in 2004.  Today, the College of Medicine has five basic science departments and 14 clinical science departments.  The College also houses seven Centers of Excellence – the Arizona Arthritis Center, the Arizona Cancer Center, the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center, the Steele Children’s Research Center, the Sarver Heart Center and the Valley Fever Center for Excellence.  The College of Medicine currently has 422 medical students; 99 percent of these students graduate.  The College also has 156 graduate students and 853 undergraduates (majoring in physiology).  The Tucson-based College has 522 full-time, salaried faculty members.

 

#    #    #

 

 

Susan Guthrie
Senior Public Affairs Coordinator
University of Arizona, College of Medicine
Phoenix
Campus
4001 N. Third Street, Suite 401
Phoenix, Arizona  85012
602-631-6555 (office) 480-241-7738 (cell)
sguthrie@email.arizona.edu