College of Medicine

- Admissions Overview
- - MD Program
    UNMC's rigorous academics, diverse clinical experiences and supportive environment put you on the path to becoming a skilled, compassionate physician.
  - How to Apply
    UNMC prepares medical degree students to meet the needs of patients through clinical practice, biomedical science and research, problem-solving and compassion.
  - Contact Us
    Review contact information for the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
  - Verification and State Licensure
    Review opportunities for state licensure following completion of the MD program in the College of Medicine at UNMC.
- - MD-MBA Program
    A combined MD-MBA degree equips you with the tools you need to become highly skilled in both management and medicine.
  - MD-MPH Program
    Pursue your passion for public health and medicine with a combined MD-MPH and help solve complex health problems.
  - MD-PhD Program
    Do you have a passion for caring for patients and for research? Consider the dual MD-PhD degree.
- Education Overview
- - Curriculum
    Our curriculum produces physicians whose foundation in basic, clinical, and health systems sciences prepare them to promote health and reduce patient suffering.
  - Graduation Requirements
    Review requirements for students pursuing an MD at the UNMC College of Medicine to graduate and receive their degree.
  - Objectives
    The objectives of UNMC's medical degree program are to prepare you for success in primary care or specialty fields.
  - Service Learning
    Active participation in community service provides critical opportunities to apply skills and knowledge gained in medical school and develop a sense of empathy.
- - Enhanced Medical Education
    Enhanced Medical Education Tracks offer medical students an opportunity to perform an in-depth study of an interdisciplinary field of medicine.
  - Enhanced Medical Education Tracks
    EMET applicants are selected for Tracks based on their interest in the topic and motivation to complete work above and beyond the primary MD curriculum.
  - MD Honor’s Thesis Program
    The MD honors thesis encourages students to engage in scientific research during medical education and become eligible to graduate with honors.
- Research Overview
- Internal Grants
  The College of Medicine has a variety of research-related grant and award opportunities available to UNMC faculty.
- Comparative Effectiveness Research
  The Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program identifies knowledge gaps in the effectiveness of clinical care and improves CER in these areas.
- Great Plains IDeA-CTR
  The Great Plains IDeA-CTR is a collaborative effort between nine regional institutions that provides training, resources. and funding to regional researchers.
- Research and Development Committee
  The Research and Development Committee handles funding opportunities for faculty, including the Bridge Funding program, and student research opportunities.
- Student Opportunities
  The College of Medicine provides a variety of research opportunities for both current and prospective UNMC students.
- Residencies & Fellowships Overview
- Graduate Medical Education Programs
  UNMC's dozens of programs--including nearly 20 in internal medicine--allow residents and fellows a variety of specialties.
- House Officer Resources
  Find information for residents and fellows, including salaries, benefits and nearby housing.
- House Officer Wellness
  Wellness resources for residents and fellows include an assistance program and a private wellness lounge.
- Research
  We aim to facilitate house officers’ involvement in research in the areas of patient safety, quality improvement, healthcare disparities and education research.
- Salary and Benefits
  Paid vacation and professional leave, health insurance and meal allowances are just a few of the benefits residents receive in addition to their yearly salary.
- Contact Us
  Reach out to the Graduate Medical Education office for information about benefits, contracts, orientation or graduation.
Departments

— College of Medicine — Department of Family Medicine — Education — Combating Racism in Medicine — Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology

white coats for black lives

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Many disparities with a variety of different cancers exist among ethnic groups in the United States. Overall, colorectal cancer (CRC) is not only one of the most common cancers diagnosed in the United States, but also has one of the highest mortality rates (Tramontano et al., 2020).

However, when considering different rates among ethnic groups, Black people/African Americans have the highest incidence rates and highest mortality rates among any ethnic group in the U.S.; they are as much as 20% more likely to get CRC and 40% more likely to die from it compared to other ethnic groups (Zavala et al., 2021).

The ethnic differences in outcomes may be due to a variety of factors including environmental stressors, lower screening rates, and less healthcare accessibility (Buehler et al., 2019; Zavala et al., 2021).

CRC disproportionately affects Black people so much so that many experts suggest that colon cancer screening for Black people begin at the age of 45 rather than the standard age of 50 (Augustus & Ellis, 2018).

The video below is Will Smith’s vlog where he records his CRC screening experience, and it is discovered that he had precancerous colon polyp which was removed during the procedure.

I Vlogged My Colonscopy

Unfortunately, unlike Will Smith’s case, CRC can be much more advanced when initially detected, and this leads to poorer outcomes. This was seen with the actor Chadwick Boseman. This video briefly covers the passing of the actor from his ongoing battle with metastatic colon cancer in 2020.

Doctor explains colon cancer following Chadwick Boseman's death

These cases highlight the importance of raising awareness of these ethnic disparities and encouraging more efforts to increase screening rates and access to healthcare, especially in the Black community.

If you would like to read more about the ethnic disparities seen with CRC in the United States, the following links cover more information.

Check out what UNMC is doing to help improve colon cancer screening in the African American community.