Pipeline Mentoring Institute SNMA Pipeline Academy

The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) addresses the needs and concerns of medical students of color and provides services to underserved communities. Established in 1964 by medical students from Howard University School of Medicine and Meharry Medical College, SNMA boasts more than 40 years of service to underserved communities and medical students. As an independent and student run non-profit organization, SNMA has more than 6,000 members composed of pre-medical and medical students, residents and licensed physicians from 135 medical schools, colleges and universities in the U.S. and the Caribbean. The organization advocates for policies that will improve health care services for underserved populations and that will increase the enrollment and retention of medical students of color.

The need for more physicians of color to serve in underrepresented communities has become more apparent as health disparities have increased between ethnic groups. Recent studies indicate that physicians who are minorities are more likely to serve in the communities with these disparities. In order to place healthcare providers in the critical need areas, the U.S. government has funded several programs to address these shortages.

Although one-fourth of the nation's population is of color, less than ten percent of its physicians represent that diversity. Evidently, there is an unmet need stemming from three general weaknesses:

1. Active recruitment and targeted exposure of underrepresented minority (URM) students to this field of study
2. Adequate preparation of URM students for the rigorous pursuit of careers in medicine
3. A lack of a multifaceted support structure for students already embroiled in these undertakings.

In order to create a diverse healthcare system, students' preparation should begin very early in their academic career. After high school, undergraduates planning on becoming healthcare providers should be continually exposed to the profession throughout their college curriculum. From our experiences the impact of such programs is beneficial, especially in communities where the disparities are great and the number of students pursuing pre-healthcare concentrations is disproportionately low.

Recognizing that many of the barriers to greater diversity within the medical profession lie within the continuum of elementary through undergraduate education, the Pipeline Mentoring Institute seeks to close the gap in preparing URM students for a career in medicine and other health-related professions. Specifically, the PMI focuses on improving general study skills, standardized test taking skills, and science preparation, establishing pipeline programs, and promoting age appropriate, crosscultural competence and experiences. Further, the PMI facilitates students' exposure to health careers and professional meetings in their chosen field of interest.

Towards these points, the PMI builds on SNMA's existing pipeline framework. The institute will utilize the grassroots efforts and success of the Minority Association of Pre-medical Students (MAPS), Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) and the Youth Science Enrichment Program (YSEP). These efforts include strengthening the educational pipeline that flows from elementary school into the health professions. By fostering academic and scientific interest in elementary students and mentoring participants as they progress through high school and college, we are already working toward these ends. The PMI will ultimately work to increase the number of culturally sensitive and capable health professionals.