Health workforce pathways seek to expose interested individuals to health fields and to train staff throughout their careers. In order to develop and retain a workforce that represents and supports the patients served by health centers, it is essential to be intentional in how workforce pathways are created. The following resources, designed to be utilized by health centers and Primary Care Associations, provide an overview of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in health workforce pathways.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Workforce Pathways
Program Examples
Academic Studies
Additional Online Resources
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) IN WORKFORCE PATHWAYS
ExploreHealthCareers.org
Diversity Links
A set of links that explain why diversity in health professions is important.
National Academy of Medicine
Learning from the Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interprofessional Perspective on Health Professions Education
An article that calls for the integration of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) into health professionals’ curricula. (November 2020)
STAT Reporting from the Frontiers of Health and Medicine
Med Students, Physicians Need Social Mission Education Now More Than Ever
A commentary article highlighting the need of health profession educational institutions to increase their capacity to convey the importance of addressing SDOH factors through a COVID-19 lens. (July 2020)
The George Washington University
Health Workforce Diversity Tracker
A video of a cross-sectional study of 2019 data from the American Community Survey and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System that demonstrates Black, Hispanic, and Native American people were underrepresented in all 10 of the health professions analyzed despite limited improvement to educational pathways.
University of Denver
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer Toolkit
A collection of global, national, and local resources highlighting how organizations can more effectively recruit diverse talent from different groups and backgrounds including veterans, LGBTQ+, employees with disabilities, and more.
PROGRAM EXAMPLES
Academic Medicine Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
Meeting the Needs of Regional Minority Groups: The University of Washington’s Programs to Increase the American Indian and Alaskan Native Physician Workforce
Pathways for careers in healthcare and minority recruitment programs at the University of Washington School of Medicine, including a summer medical/dental education program, a pre-matriculation program, and additional support service programs.
Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence
Nursing Workforce Diversity Programs
These programs supply diversity training for facilities, mentor training, and mentoring opportunities for nursing students.
Rural Healthcare Workforce Pipeline Fellowship
A program to increase the number and capacity of trained and upskilled healthcare workers in rural Colorado communities.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
CDC Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee Presentation
A 2019 presentation on the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee.
Health Careers Opportunity Program: The National HCOP Academies
A historical funding opportunity to support and guide students from disadvantaged backgrounds through the health profession educational pathway.
Scholarships for Disadvantage Students
A 2020 award to health profession and nursing schools to promote diversity among health professions.
MiMentor
Welcome to MiMentor
A national mentoring organization that supports pre-medical and pre-health students and that focuses on empowering underrepresented students in medicine.
Pre-Health Dreamers (PHD)
Peer Engagement and Enrichment Program (PEEP)
A graduate pathway program aimed to support undocumented individuals interested in health professions.
Scholar Academy for Latinxs United for Diversity (SALUD)
About
An academy that gives Latinx students of Durham, North Carolina, the opportunity to explore medical training, meet medical students, and learn from healthcare professionals in culturally supportive environments.
The George Washington University
Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity
A year-long, non-residential fellowship program to develop global leaders who understand the foundations of health inequity and have the knowledge, skills, and courage to build more equitable organizations and communities.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Anti-Racism Initiatives
A medical center that shares resources on racism as a social determinant of health and their own institutional action plans to improve health equity.
ACADEMIC STUDIES
Academic Medicine Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
Does Community College Attendance Affect Matriculation to a Physician Assistant Program? A Pathway to Increase Diversity in the Health Professions
National data from the 2016-2017 application cycle that identifies Community Colleges’ role in physician assistant education. (November 2020)
Academic Psychiatry
Race, Metaphor, and Myth in Academic Medicine
A study that explores the etiology of racial oppression, medical saviorism, and diversity in the workforce. (October 2020)
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
New Research Examines Diversity in Family Medicine
An article that examines progress in the diversification of family medicine physicians and highlights persistent lags in the workforce. (January 2019)
American Economic Association
Does Diversity Matter for Health? Experimental Evidence from Oakland
A study of physician workforce diversity on the demand for preventive care among African American men that suggests black doctors could reduce the black-white male gap in cardiovascular mortality by 19 percent. (December 2019)
American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
A Conceptual Framework for Exploring the Experiences of Underrepresented Racial Minorities in Pharmacy School
A study of the social and academic experiences of students identifying as underrepresented racial minorities in pharmacy school and tools to increase inclusivity in this field. (January 2020)
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Exceeding Expectations: Students Underrepresented in Medicine at University of Utah Health
A study of a four-year undergraduate pathway program intended to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the health professions at the University of Utah. (September 2020)
Journal of Graduate Medical Education
Resident Perspectives on the Current State of Diversity in Graduate Medical Education
A study of common issues related to diversity in graduate medical education, including microaggressions, team member relationships, underrepresentation of workplace discrimination, and tolerance of unacceptable behavior to conform to workplace norms from the perspective of physicians in training. (April 2019)
Robert Graham Center
Addressing Rural Workforce Shortages and Healthcare Disparities, An Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography on rural health needs, workforce shortages, and various financing strategies, training opportunities, and resources. (June 2019)
The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI)
Toward an Equitable Society: Building a Culture of Antiracism in Health Care
An actionable framework to build a culture of antiracism in health care systems, including antiracism-focused training and education. (July 2020)
The Journal of Rural Health
Pipelines to Pathways: Medical School Commitment to Producing a Rural Workforce
An article that explores the current landscape of rural efforts in undergraduate medical education and examines activities that may result in more graduates choosing rural practice. (November 2020)
ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES
American Medical Women’s Association
Medical Student Division
An association dedicated to advancing women in medicine offering resources for premedical students, medical students, residents, and physicians.
Association of Black Women Physicians
Programs
An association committed to the improvement of public health and welfare that offers mentorships for black women physicians, physicians in training, and pre-medical undergraduate students.
Association of Native American Medical Students
Association of Native American Medical Students
An association providing support and resources for all Native Americans currently enrolled in various allied health professions schools.
Health Affairs: A Health Podyssey
Building the Next Generation of American Indian Doctors with Dr. Donald Warne
A professor and director of the Indians Into Medicine program at the University of North Dakota and a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe discusses the shortage of health care providers for Indigenous populations.
Making Anti-Racism a Core Value in Academic Medicine
An article that examines how to apply anti-racism to academic medical systems through evaluation of curricula, practices, training models, behaviors, and actions. (August 2020)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Area Health Resources Files Diversity Dashboard
A dashboard that allows users to access detailed demographic information at the national and state levels for nearly 40 healthcare occupations.
Heroes For Healthcare
Partner
A non-profit organization that supports military personnel who wish to start a career in healthcare and that seeks to develop training opportunities with healthcare facility partners.
National Black Nurses Association, Inc. (NBNA)
NBNA Collaborative Mentorship Program
An association that seeks to provide culturally competent health care services in Black communities and offers several levels of development in the nursing profession opportunities for mentorship.
National Dental Association (NDA)
About NDA
An association that promotes oral health equity among people of color, including offering mentorship to dental students of color and advocating for their needs.
National Dental Hygienists Association (NDHA)
Home
An association that supports the special problems faced by the minority hygienist in the profession and offers scholarships and continuing education opportunities.
National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF)
The Hispanic Health Professional Student Scholarship
A scholarship for medical, nursing, dental, public health, and health policy students with strong academic records, leadership, and dedication to serving Hispanic communities.
National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA)
NHMA College Health Scholars Program
A national program that seeks to increase the diversity of the health workforce with Hispanic physicians, health professionals, and scientists/researchers by supporting students through five health career pathways of medicine, dentistry, nursing, public health, and graduate science.
National Medical Association (NMA)
About Us
An association dedicated to advocating for African American physicians and justice in medicine that offers professional education and supports medical education.
Race Forward
Racial Equity Readiness Assessment for Workforce Development
A guide for workforce development organizations and practitioners to evaluate their programs, operations, culture, and practices and policies to support institutional racial equity.
Rural Primary Care, Research, Education and Practice (Rural PREP)
Resource Library
The Rural PREP Resource Library has webinars, studies, journals, programs, and webpages on rural primary care health professions education and training.
SACNAS
Advancing Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science
A society dedicated to supporting the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans from college students to professionals in the STEM field.
Society of American Indian Dentists
Society of American Indian Dentists
An organization dedicated to promoting and improving the oral health of the American Indian/Alaskan Native community and advocating for American Indian/Alaskan Native dental professionals.
STAR2Center
Building an Inclusive Organization Toolkit
A toolkit from a HRSA-funded National Training and Technical Assistance Partner (NTTAP) to help health centers examine their organizations as they work to develop a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce.
The Association of Black Psychologists
Student Circle
An association dedicated to having a positive impact on the mental health of the national Black community that includes an association for students, offering scholarships, mentorship, and internship opportunities.
The George Washington University
Beyond Flexner Alliance
A national movement focused on health equity and training health professionals as agents of more equitable health care through education, research, service, policy, and practice.
Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity
View research, education, and action resources that support equity in the health workforce.
Structural Racism and Health Profession’s Education Summit
Recordings from the 10/29/20 Health Workforce Equity Summit on creating better educational pathways, changing the experience of students and faculty of color in health professions schools, and motivating policy change to promote equity.
The Latino Medical Student Association
The Latino Medical Student Association
An association dedicated to uniting and empowering current and future physicians to advocate for the improved health of the Hispanic community in the United States.
The Student National Medical Association
The Student National Medical Association
A national student medical association focused on supporting current and future underrepresented minority medical students and addressing the needs of underserved communities.
University of Washington (UW)
Center for Health Workforce Studies
Research from the UW Department of Family Medicine that addresses the allied health workforce, health equity, and health workforce diversity.