Making the Dream A Reality
It is common knowledge within the medical community that there
is a large healthcare gap betweeninorities and non-minorities in
the United States. Minorities die earlier, suffer more, and receive
less aggressive treatment to prevent these occurrences than non-minorities.
At first glance, it appears these disparities are due primarily
to the lower socioeconomic conditions plaguing minority communities.
But this is little more than a myth. Studies show that even upon
normalizing these conditions and providing equal access to the same
quality of health care service, minorities often are under-served
and disproportionately misdiagnosed, leading to morbidity and mortality
significantly greater than average.
These are some of the issues the IUSM Diversity Council and members
of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) addressed during
our 2004 Diversity Week Celebration at IUSM in January, held in
connection with the observance of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. The goal was to focus a critical light on the lack
of advances in the health of minorities in this country—and
to propose solutions.
One part of the solution to this problem is the active participation
of minority medical students in both campus and community activities.
Minority students can make a significant impact by bringing a measure
of diversity to their medical school environment.
We want to be positive, active members of the IUSM community who
understand that while our primary responsibility is to become highly
competent physicians, we also have a responsibility to help our
colleagues develop the cultural sensitivity necessary to effectively
treat patients from a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds.
We also are concerned about the shortage of minority physicians
in the United States.While African-Americans comprise more than
twelve percent of the population, we represent less than three percent
of its physicians. As a response to this, the SNMA has been the
primary organizer of the American Medical Association’s Doctor
Back to School Program. Each month in Indianapolis, we visit one
of the local public high schools to encourage more minority youth
to pursuecareers as physicians.
I believe Dr. King would have been proud of the collective activities
on the IUSM campus this year. IUSM and Indiana University-Purdue
University Indianapolis departments, faculty, staff and students,
and Indianapolis community leaders came together to pursue the dream
of eliminating healthcare disparities for minorities. But we still
need to do much work here in Indiana and nationally before that
dream becomes a reality.
Robert D. Patterson, MS 3, is president of the Student National
Medical Association, which focuses on the concerns of minority medical
students. In March, he was honored with the American Medical Association
Foundation Leadership Award.
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