In the United States, students of color, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, are less likely to be given the educational resources they need to pursue a career in the health professions.

A parallel, and related, issue confronting health care is that patients of color are less likely to be given equitable treatment. 

These two problems are connected, in that patients are more likely to visit health care providers who look like them, and health care professionals from underrepresented populations are more likely to engage with the communities in which they grew up. One way in which UAB School of Medicine is attempting to rectify the shortage of physicians and other healthcare providers who are members of underrepresented populations is through summer training programs.

The Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), which just completed its second year, is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A joint program between the UAB School of Medicine, the School of Health Professions, the School of Dentistry, and the School of Optometry, SHPEP welcomes 80 students from underrepresented populations onto the UAB campus each summer and provides in-depth, hands-on training in numerous healthcare fields. This is the sort of opportunity historically available only to more privileged students, whose parents have access to friends or connections in the medical fields. 

One SHPEP attendee, Rachel Bice, extolled the life-changing nature of the program, writing, "I had an amazing time at UAB SHPEP! I would highly recommend it for anyone even remotely interested in a health field. I learned so much invaluable information and had fun in the process! I’ll never forget it!"