HJAR Sep/Oct 2020

34 SEP / OCT 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   Healthcare Briefs interest in medicine,” said Winston, who just graduated with a Master of Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). “I have a natural curiosity for science and the mechanics of the body. My ultimate goal is to go into orthopaedic surgery. And of course, I’ve had people tell me I can’t do that. Have you ever seen a short, Black, female ortho surgeon? In one of the least diverse specialties? But of course, when they say things like that, it just lights a fire under me.” Winston was one of 14 students who took the exam, which is a requirement for getting into medical school, after participating in the first year of the HBCU Med Track program. The program provides a combination of mentoring, tutoring, and assistance navigating the application process for medical school and other healthcare careers. The program is a partnership of UAMS, the Uni- versity of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), and Phi- lander Smith College in Little Rock. It was funded in 2019 from part of a $4.6 million grant to UAMS from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to address the rural physician shortage in Arkansas. HBCU Med Track aims to create a partnership between the historically black colleges and uni- versities (HBCU) in the state to help more minor- ity students enter the medical field. The goal is to train people from Arkansas who represent and understand its wide diversity, so that those indi- viduals can stay in Arkansas, treat underserved communities, and lessen the impact of an ongo- ing rural physician shortage that is only expected to worsen in the coming decades. Sederick C. Rice, PhD, site director for the pro- gram at UAPB and an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, said many UAPB students understand health disparities and physician short- ages firsthand. “We have students from different parts of the state, including the Delta,” Rice said. “This pro- gram helps us support students from these com- munities who are already familiar with the cultures and the challenges of the places they come from and are dedicated to being a part of the solution. I had one student say: ‘you know, Doc, I come from a small town and we don’t have a phar- macy or a clinic. We have to drive several miles to access that. I want to go back and establish a clinic so that not only my family members benefit, but other people in that community.’” Cynthia Burroughs, PhD, site director for the program at Philander Smith and a professor in the biology program, said the program’s combination of tutoring, mentorship, and system navigation is key. It is modeled off of other successful pro- grams, like one at Xavier University in Louisiana. “We’ve had a long relationship with UAMS, but this makes it more formal and organized,” Burroughs said. “Students of color who want to go into medicine are coming to Philander Smith already. They seek us out. This program helps us give them a more personalized relationship with UAMS before they apply for medical school so that they are more likely to consider UAMS when it is time for them to apply. Because currently, our top students are going out of state, and they might not come back.” Students and faculty alike agreed that the sup- port provided by the program model is key to improving opportunities for underrepresented minorities in medicine. Students in the HBCU Med-Track Program are interested in health sci- ence career options, an opportunity to learn “the ropes” to be able to prepare competitive applications and personal statements, improve their interview and test-taking skills – all on top of a strengthening their science and math back- grounds. Mentorship, relationships, and support are the special glue that holds it all together. Renisha Ward is education coordinator of the HBCU Med Track program at UAMS. Ward grad- uated from UAPB a firm believer that HBCU’s can play a unique role in encouraging and supporting minority students. “Life is a struggle,” Ward said. “There’s always going to be a struggle. But sometimes it’s nice to know I can look to my left and my right and there will be a brother and a sister who are there in the struggle with me. Not only that, but there are people in corporate America, in education, in medicine, and science who will fight for you.” Ward said through the Med Track program, she is able to become that contact at UAMS for these students. Pre-pandemic, some would come and sit in her office daily. Now, they all log on together for tutoring online. “Now they literally have a face, someone they know at UAMS who is truly invested in them and who they can reach out to,” Ward said. Winston agreed. She said the fact that all of the students came from HBCU’s allowed for an instant bond that aided in their learning. Cynthia Burroughs, PhD Sederick C. Rice, PhD Renisha Ward Amanda Winston