HSC Encourages More Diverse Medical School Attendance With 'Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit'

A 2020 New England Journal of Science study found that the number of Black men applying to medical school has dropped over the past four decades. While Black male medical students accounted for 3.1% of the national medical student body in 1978, they accounted for just 2.9% by 2019; without the contribution of historically Black medical schools, this number would drop even lower to just 2.4%.

Studies also show that access to care and health outcomes improve when physicians more closely represent the patients they care for, partly because of increased trust. So, the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) is doing its part to get more Black men to choose the medical career path.

During Black History Month, the HSC hosted its first Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit. The interactive summit took place at the HSC's Medical Education and Training Center Building in Fort Worth, Texas.

The free event was open to students in grades 3-12, parents and college students. The summit included sessions like "Journey to the White Coat," "Mini Medical School," "Skeletal System Exploration," "CPR Techniques," "Osteology Lab," and more. Viral TikTok sensation The BoykinZ, who recently appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, also performed at the event.

HSC hosted the Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit and surrounding events throughout Dallas Fort Worth, in an effort to expand the Health & Aging Brain Study, previously known as the Black Alzheimer’s (ALZ) Brain Study, launched in 2021 to address why Alzheimer’s disproportionately impacts Black families. In continuing the study, HSC seeks to increase awareness for women and families, of not only the disproportional impact of Alzheimer’s on the Black community but also of the research surrounding it.