Baptist Health Sciences University HealthCORE hosted more than 700 students, parents and professionals on Saturday, Feb. 22 for the seventh Black Men in White Coats: Building Diverse Health Care Professionals Summit for fifth grade through college students interested in pursuing medical and science careers. The summit took place at Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The free event included speed networking with local health care professionals; hands-on demonstrations; and two panel discussions, one led by physicians and another by medical students. Students, parents, group leaders and school chaperones also had the opportunity to learn about health care career opportunities, financing for higher education and other resources and support.
Featured speakers for the White Coats Professionals panel included Ted Lyons, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist and chief executive officer with Shot Rx 901; Fred Pete, Doctor of Chiropractic, chief executive officer for R.E.D Chiro; Tony Beard, laboratory director for Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi; and Dr. Winfred B. Abrams Jr., an orthopedic surgeon with OrthoSouth.
The second panel was led by medical students from Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. Both panels were followed by a Q&A session to give attendees the chance to engage with speakers and ask questions regarding their experience in the medical field.
“We are excited to welcome students and parents back for our annual Black Men in White Coats Summit,” said Lilian Nyindodo, Ph.D., MPH, MS, chair and professor of biomedical sciences for BHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and co-chair of BHSU’s HealthCORE initiative, which includes Black Men in White Coats. “Black Men in White Coats aligns with our mission to support students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math. This event is part of our HealthCORE program, which aims to provide equal access to opportunities for all students interested in working in the medical field.”
BHSU HealthCORE introduces students to careers in health care and provides them with resources, support and mentoring opportunities to succeed. Baptist started offering this programming after hosting the first Black Men in White Coats summit in 2018. The goal of the program was to inspire students, particularly those from underrepresented minority backgrounds, to consider medical careers and increase ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in the field of medicine.
“After the summit, several white coat professionals shared that many students reached out to them for shadowing experiences and to continue dialogue,” said Ann Marie Wallace, senior community involvement coordinator.
Black Men in White Coats professionals provided several mentoring opportunities before the annual summit, including school visits throughout January and February. One of these school visits took place at Rivercrest Elementary, located in Bartlett, Tennessee. The school has participated in Black Men in White Coats for two years.
“Our students absolutely love to see the doctors visit. They provide hands-on learning with all of our fifth grade students,” said Rivercrest Elementary Principal Sharonda Rose. “I believe it is never too early to expose students to various professions because if students can’t see a reflection of themselves as medical professionals, it’s hard to envision it. They have been inspired to set goals to pursue medical opportunities, even at early ages.”
Baptist was selected to host a citywide chapter of the National Black Men in White Coats initiative in October 2023. The initiative was started after a 2015 Association of American Medical Colleges report found that fewer African American males had applied to and graduated from medical school in 2014 than in 1978 despite more Black men graduating from college.
The next HealthCORE event is STEM Summer Camp. Registration is now open. Click here for more information about upcoming BHSU HealthCORE events.
