Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.
Mol Biol Cell. 2020 Nov 15;31(24):2640-2643. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E20-07-0444.
The importance of diversity is self-evident in medicine and medical research. Not only does diversity result in more impactful scientific work, but diverse teams of researchers and clinicians are necessary to address health disparities and improve the health of underserved communities. MD/PhD programs serve an important role in training physician-scientists, so it is critical to ensure that MD/PhD students represent diverse backgrounds and experiences. Groups who are underrepresented in medicine and the biomedical sciences include individuals from certain racial and ethnic backgrounds, individuals with disabilities, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and women. However, underrepresented students are routinely discouraged from applying to MD/PhD programs due to a range of factors. These factors include the significant cost of applying, which can be prohibitive for many students, the paucity of diverse mentors who share common experiences, as well as applicants' perceptions that there is inadequate support and inclusion from within MD/PhD programs. By providing advice to students who are underrepresented in medicine and describing steps programs can take to recruit and support minority applicants, we hope to encourage more students to consider the MD/PhD career path that will yield a more productive and equitable scientific and medical community.
多样性在医学和医学研究中至关重要。多样性不仅能产生更有影响力的科学工作，而且还需要多样化的研究人员和临床医生团队来解决健康差距问题并改善服务不足社区的健康状况。医学博士/哲学博士（MD/PhD）项目在培养医师科学家方面发挥着重要作用，因此，确保 MD/PhD 学生具有多样化的背景和经验至关重要。在医学和生物医学科学领域代表性不足的群体包括来自某些种族和族裔背景的人、残疾人士、来自不利背景的人以及女性。然而，由于一系列因素，代表性不足的学生经常被劝阻申请 MD/PhD 项目。这些因素包括申请的高昂费用，这对许多学生来说可能是望尘莫及的，以及缺乏具有共同经验的多样化导师，以及申请人认为 MD/PhD 项目内部缺乏足够的支持和包容。通过向医学领域代表性不足的学生提供建议，并描述项目可以采取哪些措施来招募和支持少数族裔申请人，我们希望鼓励更多的学生考虑 MD/PhD 职业道路，从而产生更富有成效和公平的科学和医学社区。
