Programs that encourage diversity in our medical school
We believe that a diverse population enriches the educational experience of all of our students and trainees. Clinicians from groups underrepresented in medicine and biomedical sciences are often key health care providers for the nation’s underserved population. That’s why our many initiatives are designed to expand the number of underrepresented students and residents in our programs including African American, Latino and Native American candidates.
The College’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) supports the needs and interests of students from groups who are traditionally underserved in the biomedical sciences. The goal of the ODI is to help qualified students from all backgrounds to realize their dreams of becoming physicians while making their medical school experiences personally and professionally rewarding.
ODI offers academic and career counseling, student advocacy and assistance with scholarships and grants. The office also supports educational experiences that promote personal growth and cultural sensitivity, such as assisting with travel expenses to professional conferences and matching students with mentors who are compatible with their individual professional goals and unique cultural backgrounds.
The office oversees the college’s pipeline programs to encourage greater diversity in our medical school and residency programs. One such initiative is our unique MEDPATH Post-Baccalaureate Program that works to identify and increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who indicate a desire to practice medicine in underserved communities. The Discovery Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) is an National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded program that provides an intense paid research experience in outstanding research facilities with leading investigators at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The Underrepresented in Medicine Visiting Student Program provides fourth-year minority medical students a one-month rotation in one of our exceptional residency programs with the goal of them applying to Ohio State. And the unique ASPIRE program provides early research experience for undergraduate students from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups who might want to pursue medicine and research.