American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine is proud to welcome one of the most diverse incoming medical school classes in AUA history. The incoming cohort for AUA’s spring semester, which started medical school in early February, includes aspiring physicians from demographic groups that have been historically under-represented in higher medical education.
“Educating physicians from diverse backgrounds and experiences is central to AUA’s mission,” said Neal Simon, AUA president. “Our view is that the more people have access to higher education and lifelong learning, the more the global community benefits.”
According to the Association for American Medical Colleges, there were 21,869 medical school matriculants in 2019-2020. Out of that total, students who identified as African Americans and/or black, Hispanic/Latino, and other historically under-represented groups made up just 14 percent of the incoming student body, combined. At AUA, however, more than 40 percent of students for the spring 2020 class self-identified as black and/or African-American, Hispanic, or as being from other historically under-represented groups.
There has been an increased emphasis on diversity in US medical schools over the past decade. In 2009, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education—which accredits medical schools in the United States—mandated that all US medical schools need to develop programs geared toward broadening diversity among qualified candidates.
Though a 2018 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported small gains in certain demographics as a result of the LCME mandate, other experts say there’s still work to be done. A September 2019 study, also from JAMA, argues that representation of certain under-represented groups in medical school remains significantly unchanged since the LCME mandate.
Recently, AUA entered into an agreement with Charles Drew University (CDU) of Medicine and Science, a historically black college and university (HBCU), to create a pathway for qualified CDU students to attend AUA and become physicians. For 2020, AUA is committed to exploring and forming additional partnerships with universities serving similarly under-represented populations.
AUA offers cultural scholarships of up to $50,000 to help students from under-represented groups fund their medical education, and is currently accepting qualified candidates for its fall 2020 MD program. These awards, combined with AUA’s holistic admissions policy, give aspiring medical school students from under-represented communities a chance to fulfill their dreams of becoming physicians.
About American University of Antigua College of Medicine
American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine is a fully accredited Caribbean medical school dedicated to providing an academic experience of the highest quality. Via a holistic admissions approach, AUA selects students with the potential for medical school success and provides them with the resources they need to obtain highly competitive residencies and move on to successful careers in medicine.
Founded in 2004, AUA awards the Doctor of Medicine degree after students complete a two-year basic sciences curriculum on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, followed by clinical rotations in the United States, Canada, India, or the United Kingdom at affiliated teaching hospitals. AUA is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP).
AUA is approved by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in federal student aid programs, approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), licensed by Florida Department of Education (DOE), and recognized by the Medical Board of California (MBC).
AUA maintains an official partnership with Florida International University, Miami, FL, that enables AUA students to complete all core clinical rotations back-to-back at FIU-affiliated hospitals (the Clinical Core Certificate Program). Through this partnership, AUA students can also enroll in the Global Health Track, a comprehensive, four-year longitudinal track in global health that is fully integrated into AUA’s curriculum and includes admission to the Clinical Core Certificate Program.
Visit https://www.auamed.org to learn more.