Creating Pathways Towards Health Equity
Diversity is a vital lever we must pull as a nation towards health equity. Improved diversity enables healthcare providers to meet the unique social, cultural, and linguistic needs of their patients. For young people of color, diversity creates pathways towards rewarding careers, in which they can make a positive impact on people’s lives.
While studies highlight the many benefits of diversity in delivering high quality healthcare, the U.S. lags far behind. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, Black male medical students accounted for just 2.9 percent of the national medical student body in 2019. Without the contribution of historically Black medical schools, just 2.4% would be Black men.
The National Summer Learning Association’s (NSLA) Health Sciences PLC is comprised of committed organizations seeking ways to create pathways for students seeking careers in the health sciences field. Our goal is to harness the power of diversity to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities.
Planned, led, and facilitated by NSLA Field Consultants, the PLC:
- Regularly convenes as a community of mutual learning and best practice sharing
- Holds virtual meetings, a 1 all day in-person retreat at NSLA’s Annual Conference.
- Covers Program Planning, Student & Staff Recruitment, Fundraising, Evaluation, Policy, and Partnerships
- Creates access to summer internship opportunities
Who Should Join the Health Sciences PLC?
Youth-serving programs engaging middle, high school, or college students of color who are interested in healthcare, or other STEM-related careers.
Join Our PLC Today!
PLC Team Leader
Email Jake Weinfeld, NSLA Field Consultant, at STEMHealth@summerlearning.org to learn how to join our PLC.