Courtesy of Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College and Swedish Health Services in Seattle, Washington have teamed up to create a groundbreaking partnership aimed at reducing health disparities among people of color in the Pacific Northwest and building a more diverse and inclusive health care environment in the area.
“Our partnership with Swedish Health Services will allow our students to gain real-world clinical experience and make a difference, especially in underrepresented and underserved communities,” said Meharry President Dr. James E.K. Hildreth. “Diversifying our health care workforce is pivotal to ensuring better health care outcomes and access for all. It starts by providing quality training, resources and support for the next generation of Black medical students.”
The program—a partnership with the Swedish General Surgery Residency Program—launched officially in September. The first cohort comprises third-year students and is set to begin in January. Those students will move through surgical rotations as they prepare for residency and will receive assistance with transportation, housing and living expenses.
The Diversity Sub-Internship Scholarship is open to all fourth-year students from U.S. medical schools and minorities historically underrepresented in surgery. There are plans to expand rotations to other specialty areas at Swedish including obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine and primary care.
The Swedish/Meharry collaboration will hopefully nurture a new generation of skilled physicians who will bring a much-needed lens of diversity and equity to medical care. The collaboration will also serve as an important step in Swedish’s work to reduce health disparities by expanding culturally competent care for people of color that is focused on health and well-being, as well as patient experience.
