Minority Affairs
The Office of Minority Affairs provides a wide range of support services and educational programs to students enrolled in the School of Medicine and to students interested in pursuing careers in the health professions. The Office also serves as a focal point for a variety of student activities including, among other organizations, the Student National Medical Association, the Hispanic-American Medical Student Association, and Project Medishare in which medical students visit and work in Haiti.
The Office of
Minority Affairs offers a systematic program of tutorial work for all minority
students enrolled in the University of Miami School of Medicine who might need
educational assistance. A system has been developed whereby these students are
identified early in their first semester. A cadre of volunteer tutors from the
faculty and student body has been established for one-on-one tutorial sessions
The Office oversees
and provides administrative support for a number of special programs that have
as their common goal to increase the enrollment of underrepresented students in
the health professions.
Minority Students health Careers Motivation Program
In 1976, the School established a summer enrichment program for minority students interested in health careers. This program, referred to as the Minority Students Health Careers Motivation Program is the School of Medicines priority program for the facilitation of entry of minority students to medical schools. This program is a 7-week, full-time program for college students, particularly juniors and seniors who are interested in health careers, primarily medicine. Occasionally, a few college graduates and underclassmen are accepted to the program. Generally, the students selected are majors in one of the biological or physical sciences. Participation is limited to residents of the State of Florida. The main goal of the Motivational Program is to facilitate the entry of minority/disadvantaged students into schools of the health professions. This goal is met in part by providing participants with a challenging curriculum composed of several pre-clinical medical school courses such as biochemistry, histology, gross anatomy, and microbiology. An intensive reading and study-skills course accompanies the science curriculum. Clinical skills conferences with physicians, and visits to designated clinical areas, give students opportunities to see physicians at work and to expose them to a wide variety of clinical activities. Seminars and workshops are presented to participants who attend the session entitled Preparing for Medical School which includes information on the building of credentials, reviews of the application process, interviewing techniques, and writing personal statements. Each participating student receives a stipend.
The purpose of the High School Careers in Medicine Workshop is to enroll each summer about 30 disadvantaged high school seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in a health-related profession. The program is a 6-week residential program that provides intensive exposure to the sciences basic to the study of the health professions. The workshop consists of courses in human biology, physiology, cellular and molecular biology, socio-cultural anthropology, bioethics, history and philosophy of science, and language arts with emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving, and writing. There is also a computer laboratory experience.
The goal of the MCAT Preparational Program is to have 90% of the participants score no less than 8 on the three major sections of the exam. The program is conducted in 14 weekday and Saturday sessions during the summer.
This is a 4-week preparation course provided to disadvantaged medical students at the University of Miami School of Medicine. The goal of this program is that 90% of the participants pass Step 1 on the first taking.
For further information about minority affairs or any of the programs listed above, contact
Office of Minority Affairs (R-128)
University of Miami School of Medicine
PO Box 016960
Miami, FL 33101
Phone 305-243-5998
Email amack@mednet.med.miami.edu
