Office of Minority Health

Grantee Information

National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA)
1920 L. Street NW Suite 725
Washington, DC 20036-5050
202-628-5895 (Phone)
www.nhmamd.org

Established in 1994, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) is a nonprofit association whose mission is to empower Hispanic physicians and other health care professionals. NHMA works to improve the health of Hispanic populations by collaborating with Hispanic medical societies, resident and medical student organizations, and public and private sector partners.

Grant Project Information

Increasing Hispanics in the Medical Professions Workforce
Length of Project: 9/1/12-8/31/15
Annual Funding Level: $100,000
Project Director: Elena Rios
202-628-5895 (Phone)
E-mail: erios@nhmamd.org

Abstract

Research has shown that racial diversity among health professionals is associated with improved access to medical care for racial and ethnic minority patients. For this reason, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) grant project strives to increase racial and ethnic diversity among health professionals, specifically through:

• Increasing the number of Hispanic students who successfully apply and are accepted to medical school;
• Researching, analyzing, defining and disseminating best practices for encouraging Hispanic youth to pursue health-related career fields; and
• Increasing the number of Hispanic physicians who are culturally competent in providing health care.

The target population for this intervention includes Hispanic middle and high school students nationwide. Additionally, Hispanic representatives from medical schools will be engaged in activities and outreach to improve their cultural competency. The primary intervention strategies are to identify best practices for encouraging youth to pursue health related careers, facilitate conferences and career development opportunities, and engage medical schools while in the process of attracting Hispanic youth to health-focused disciplines.

The process and outcome evaluation will focus on tracking changes in the number of Hispanic students who:

• Are interested in applying to medical school;
• Successfully complete medical school applications; and
• Get accepted into medical school.

The anticipated program outcomes of this intervention include increased representation of Hispanics within medical fields, as well as enhanced cultural competency of Hispanic physicians. These outcomes are subsequently expected to improve the overall health of the Hispanic American population.

Objective