ABIM Foundation Awards Grant to Increase Diversity in the Medical Field
August 12, 2021
The ABIM Foundation has awarded $15,000 to DiverseMedicine Inc. to evaluate the nationwide impact of its various diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Founded in 2011 to foster diversity in medicine through mentorship and motivation, the Dallas-based nonprofit creates and implements community programs to expose underrepresented students to the field of medicine.
“We’re grateful for the support of the ABIM Foundation,” said Dr. Dale Okorodudu, founder of DiverseMedicine Inc. “For years, we’ve worked so hard to make an impact, however, we’ve lacked the support to objectively evaluate our efforts. Our goal isn’t simply to have an impact, it’s to make it reproducible. This grant will help us better understand where to focus our efforts to ensure individuals from all backgrounds have an opportunity to enter the field of medicine.”
What started as a web-based mentoring platform has grown into a wide network of mentors who facilitate educational webinars, case series competitions, annual summits, Medical College Admission Test prep seminars and more, reaching thousands of diverse premedical students across the country.
The organization’s current efforts include the Black Men in White Coats program, which seeks to increase the number of Black men in medicine through exposure, inspiration and mentorship. Black Men in White Coats partners with medical schools across the country to produce short documentary videos to raise awareness about the lack of Black men in the medical field.
“Research has shown that physicians of color are more likely to treat minority patients and practice in underserved communities. We also know that when a patient shares a similar racial or cultural background with their doctor there tends to be more communication, stronger trust and better overall health outcomes,” said Richard J. Baron, MD, president and CEO of ABIM and the ABIM Foundation. “DiverseMedicine is leading the charge to build a strong pipeline of diverse physicians, particularly focusing on encouraging more young Black men to consider medicine as a career. This is important work that will directly improve the lives of patients everywhere, and I strongly encourage others to join us in finding ways to support their efforts.”
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About The ABIM Foundation
The ABIM Foundation’s mission is to advance medical professionalism to improve the health care system by collaborating with physicians and physician leaders, medical trainees, health care delivery systems, payers, policymakers, consumer organizations and patients to foster a shared understanding of professionalism and how they can adopt the tenets of professionalism in practice. To learn more about the ABIM Foundation, visit www.abimfoundation.org, connect on Facebook or follow on Twitter.
