The University of
Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama School of Medicine (UASOM)
have a fundamental commitment to diversity – including the identification,
recruitment, retention, and career advisement of minorities and students from
underrepresented populations. The Office
of Minority Programs encourages minority students interested in medical school
to contact the office early in their educational process so that they may
receive proper guidance.
The
Office of Minority Development at the UASOM officially opened in February of
1999. The office consists of two
separate but integrated divisions. One
division is devoted to recruitment and retention of minority medical students,
and the other division focuses on assisting with recruitment and retention of
minority house staff and faculty. To
accomplish the mission of the office, the following multifaceted approaches to
recruitment and retention efforts are being implemented:
§
Fostering a
relationship with the local, regional, and national educational systems through
collaboration with other UAB disciplines and departments that have programs in
place to energize curriculums and stimulate minority student interest in
science, thus increasing the pool of qualified minority applicants
§
Increasing the
frequency of faculty and staff visits to colleges/universities
§
Increasing the
number of colleges/universities visited and establishing a relationship with
pre-medical advisors and science instructors
§
Increasing
retention by building an infrastructure that has tutorial assistance as one of
its major components
§
Having a
presence at conferences on regional and national levels where a large number of
minorities (undergraduate, graduate and medical students) are in attendance
§
Advertising in
journals that are read by minority medical students and physicians who have an
interest in academic medicine
§
Providing
seminars for new faculty to explain the requirements for getting promotions and
tenure at the University
§
Providing
mentors for the new faculty
§
Providing
financial assistance for new tenure track faculty
§
Interacting
with pre-medical students, local physicians, and medical groups
§
Coordinating
seminars for minority medical students with emphasis on finances and
interviewing skills
§
Coordinating
enrichment activities that complement the recruitment and retention process