New York's statewide approach to increase the number of minority applicants to medical school.

The Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMS), a consortium of 13 public and private medical schools, has identified the problem of low minority enrollment as its top priority issue. Over the last six years, the consortium has established a multifaceted, statewide effort aimed at increasing the pool of qualified minority applicants. The programs include academic enrichment for precollege and college students, recruitment conferences, and a program to attract minority applicants to residency training in New York. The key to this effort is the work of the AMS Office of Minority Affairs, which provides statewide oversight and coordinates these programs. The consortium approach has proven attractive to both private philanthropy and government funding sources and provides a mechanism for evaluation. The most valid evaluation will occur in about three years, when graduates of the precollege program begin to apply to medical school.