{"id":47895,"date":"2004-09-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2004-09-27T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2004\/09\/27\/diversity-expert-acknowledges-unmc-program-at-washington-news-conference-2\/"},"modified":"2022-08-28T21:42:17","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T02:42:17","slug":"diversity-expert-acknowledges-unmc-program-at-washington-news-conference-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2004\/09\/27\/diversity-expert-acknowledges-unmc-program-at-washington-news-conference-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity expert acknowledges UNMC program at Washington news conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\"><p><DIV>The chairman of a national commission looking into how more minority students can be directed into the health professions cited a unique partnership spearheaded by the University of Nebraska Medical Center as one example of how academic health science centers can address the diversity shortage at a news conference on Sept. 20 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>Louis Sullivan, M.D., chairman of the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce, referred to the partnership during the question-and-answer session at the end of the news conference.<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>\u201cJust about 10 days ago, I happened to be in Richmond, Virginia, to be part of a unique program there,\u201d he said. \u201cVirginia Commonwealth University and the University of Nebraska have formed an alliance with the five historical black colleges (in Virginia) and one community college in Richmond to bring more minority students into those medical schools, and I\u2019m sure this will also benefit other medical schools by forming a consortium to indeed work closely together.\u201d <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>While attending the signing ceremony on Sept. 8, Dr. Sullivan said he learned that 63 percent of the college students in Virginia are in community colleges. <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>\u201cIn the commission\u2019s report, we emphasize that there must be much more interaction between all segments in the educational pipeline &#8212; much more bridging between colleges and high schools, between colleges and community colleges,\u201d he said.&nbsp; \u201cThe percentage of minorities in community colleges is higher than in the baccalaureate four-year institutions. We need to find ways to tap into this resource, and that is one of the things in the report that we emphasize.\u201d&nbsp; <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>Following 18 months of work, the 16-member Sullivan Commission announced its findings at the news conference, which was attended by about 100 people. Attendees included representatives from several major health organizations such as the Association for American Medical Colleges, the National Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>The partnership cited by Dr. Sullivan at the news conference is called the Virginia-Nebraska Alliance. It brings together Virginia\u2019s five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) \u2013 Hampton University, Norfolk State University, St. Paul\u2019s College, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University \u2013 and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in partnership with the University of Nebraska and Virginia Commonwealth University.<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>\u201cWe\u2019re honored that Dr. Sullivan would give our partnership special recognition at a major national news conference,\u201d said Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and one of the UNMC architects of the alliance. \u201cIt speaks volumes for how highly it is regarded by key national people trying to solve the diversity issue in the health professions. It epitomizes exactly what Dr. Sullivan is recommending \u2013 an alliance that brings together several universities, colleges and a community college. Many experts feel it is a model for other academic medical centers to follow.<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>\u201cIt is especially gratifying to me that the university\u2019s top leadership \u2013 President (J.B.) Milliken and Chancellor (Harold M.) Maurer \u2013 has diversity as a major part of its strategic plan.\u201d<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>The Virginia-Nebraska Alliance provides a multitude of academic and research opportunities for minority undergraduate students and faculty. The alliance will offer summer research internships for students, faculty exchanges, seminars and presentations, and collaborative grant applications. <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>In addition to the Virginia-Nebraska Alliance, UNMC also has academic affiliation agreements with Dillard University in New Orleans, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Agreements are being negotiated with Morehouse College and Spelman College, both in Atlanta, Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., and Tennessee State University in Memphis. In the past three years, UNMC has provided summer research experience for 40 minority undergraduate students, including 26 from HCBUs. <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>The Sullivan Commission cited 37 specific action steps that should be utilized to address the shortage of minority health professionals. <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>\u201cThree overriding principles are central to solving this problem,\u201d Dr. Sullivan said. \u201cFirst, the culture of health professions schools must change. Second, new and non-traditional paths to the health professions must be explored. Finally, commitments must be made at the highest level.<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>\u201cThere is no place in this wonderfully diverse nation to have a medical school with just one or two minority students. A culture that allows this to continue is out of step with America\u2019s realities.\u201d<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>The Sullivan Commission report stated that the lack of diversity among healthcare professionals is placing the health of at least one-third of the nation at risk. <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>\u201cAccess to health professions remains largely separate and unequal,\u201d Dr. Sullivan said. \u201cWe know that minority physicians, dentists and nurses are more likely to serve minority and medically underserved populations. Without much more diversity in the health workforce, minorities will continue to suffer.\u201d<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>Dr. Sullivan is president emeritus of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993. <\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>&nbsp;<\/DIV><br \/>\n<DIV>For more information about the Virginia-Nebraska alliance, go to: <A href=\"http:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/virgina\">www.unmc.edu\/virgina<\/A>. For more information on the Sullivan Commission report, go to <A href=\"http:\/\/www.sullivancommission.org\/\">www.sullivancommission.org<\/A>.<\/DIV><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The chairman of a national commission looking into how more minority students can be directed into the health professions cited a unique partnership spearheaded by the University of Nebraska Medical Center as one example of how academic health science centers can address the diversity shortage at a news conference on Sept. 20 at the National [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-press-release"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Diversity expert acknowledges UNMC program at Washington news conference<\/title>\n<meta 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