Diversity in the medical field could lead to better health outcomes for everyone. But, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 5.7% of U.S. doctors are Black and minority representation in medical schools has declined over the past year.
For Jermaine Blakley, a third-year medical student at the Howard University College of Medicine, making an impact on the medical field for the better is crucial.
“I think diversity within the medical field is extremely important,” Blakley said. “The human experience is so customized and so unique to every patient.”
His mother, who is a nurse, introduced him to working in medicine and health care and had a huge influence on his career path. Blakley grew up in rural Alabama, where he said access to health care was scarce.
“My mom was in a bad car accident one day, and our closest hospital was in Mississippi at the time,” Blakely said. “So, you have to drive at least 40 minutes for emergency situations.”
Blakley is part of the Abbott Scholars program, which aims to foster diversity in medicine and advance health equity for students of color at four historically Black colleges and universities.
In 2021, Abbott, a medical and health care company, launched a new initiative in an effort to drive diversity in medicine and improve care among underrepresented populations. Through partnerships with four HBCU medical schools, the National Black Nurses Association and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Abbott will dedicate $5 million to fund nearly 300 scholarships until 2026 to support training and education.
“I’m very grateful for a company like Abbott Laboratories, who decided to give me a scholarship so that I can decrease some of that financial burden for me … because medical school is arduous and very complex itself,” Blakely said. “So helping to decrease an additional burden for me has been very monumental, to not only my mental health but to my academic capabilities.”
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