Universal Music Group Creates Scholarship Programs with HBCU Medical Schools, Including Morehouse School of Medicine

Written By Morehouse School of Medicine

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, through its Task Force for Meaningful Change (TFMC), is working to widen the pipeline of Black medical practitioners through support to the HBCU medical schools at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

Each year, the TFMC identifies a Super Priority guided by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) and considers how the issue is currently impacting Black and marginalized communities. This new scholarship initiative was born out of the TFMC’s 2022 Super Priority, Public Health.

Donations will provide over 50 students with scholarships across the four medical campuses that will be granted this year. The TFMC identified the need for increasing access to community-oriented and culturally competent health care in Black communities with the help of its Public Health Advisory Board. The Public Health Advisory Board is comprised of national public health experts from across the field, such as Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. and Dr. Camara Jones, who helped illuminate the critical need to financially support institutions with a long history of investing in Black medical practitioners and empowering Black communities in medicine.

When asked to contextualize the importance of supporting HBCU medical schools, Dr. Mitchell stated, “Equity in health care begins with developing physicians who understand and identify with the communities that they serve. By investing in HBCU medical schools, TFMC helps to ensure the cultural competency and literacy needed to improve patient access, care, and outcomes. TFMC should be applauded for these efforts!”

“Our efforts to direct our philanthropic efforts in a way that combats racial disparities in public health is directly informed by the insights of experts like Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Jones. Their invaluable knowledge helps ensure our measurable impact and mission are realized,” said Dr. Menna Demessie, SVP and Executive Director of UMG’s TFMC. “Our Task Force members really understand our mission and they understand the power of music – as well as our collective ability – to leverage our position as industry leaders to make positive social change.”

Charles Drew Dean of College of Medicine, Deborah Prothrow-Stith, MD, said, “The entire team at CDU is thrilled to be part of this initiative, which not only supports the education and career aspirations of deserving medical students but also aligns perfectly with our mission to provide education, research, and clinical service in the context of community engagement. Through these scholarships and the widening of the pipeline for Black and Brown physicians, we are taking significant strides towards achieving equitable and culturally competent health care for all.”

Dr. Andrea Hayes Dixon, Dean of Howard University College of Medicine said, “We are very thankful for this gift! Howard University College of Medicine is among medical schools in the country with the lowest tuition, and our students mostly come from humble backgrounds and would not be able to attend the University without financial assistance. Thirty percent of our students reported having more student loan debt than the national average for medical students. The Universal Music Group Medical Scholarship will help ease the financial burden for deserving students.”

“Since 1876, Meharry Medical College has been training our students in what we call health caring,” said Meharry School of Medicine Interim Dean Dr. Digna S. Forbes. “In our schools of medicine, dentistry, graduate studies, and data science, we focus on educating Meharrians in providing the health care that underserved communities desperately need in an effort to bring about health equity in America and the world — it’s been our mission for nearly 150 years. We are grateful for Universal Music Group’s generosity.” Meharry Medical College wants to continue its path of encouraging diversity in medicine and positioning its students to be medical practitioners with the skillsets to eliminate health care disparities as well. They will use their donation to reward students with academic excellence, leadership service, and a dedication to serving vulnerable and underserved populations.

“Morehouse School of Medicine’s mission of global health equity inspires many of our students to serve traditionally marginalized communities and to address health disparities with quality, culturally humble primary care,” said Joseph A. Tyndall, MD, MPH, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of Morehouse School of Medicine. “As we welcome our newest students this fall, we are grateful to Universal Music Group for their generous support, which will make a substantial difference in the lives of our learners.” For its scholarships, Morehouse School of Medicine will target students who need the financial ability to serve in under-resourced urban and rural communities, providing health equity for those who need it the most.

Additionally, as part of its efforts to advance equitable access and opportunity in the public health space, the TFMC supported organizations servicing the Black community and cultivating the next generation of Black medical practitioners, including the Black Women’s Health Imperative, Council on Black Health, the National Medical Association, Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues, ElevateMed, and Mentoring in Medicine, among others.