25913 Interest and exposure of premedical students to dermatology at a historically Black university

Abstract

Dermatology is an essential specialty in the medical field and the importance of proper care of skin conditions cannot be understated. There is a lack of diversity in dermatology, with only 4.2% of dermatologists identifying as Hispanic and 3% identifying as African American. A small pipeline of black students matriculating to medical school, late exposure to dermatology in medical school, a lack of mentorship, and an emphasis on standardized testing/Alpha Omega Alpha status are hypothesized to have contributed to this lack of diversity. Disparity also exists in terms of clinical practice and outcomes in dermatology. This can be seen with skin cancer outcomes, hospitalizations for psoriasis, and the disparate burden of atopic dermatitis; Hispanics, blacks, and people of lower SES suffer disproportionately. This study aims to discover attitudes and exposure that premedical students at a historically black university have towards dermatology and also assess what barriers they face. 152 survey results were compiled from Howard University undergraduate premedical students using Surveymonkey. The results showed that the majority of the students demonstrated interest in dermatology but minimal exposure in the field of dermatology. Social media was a major source of exposure for many students; a minority had shadowing and mentorship experience. The majority of students expressed a desire to learn more about the field and stated interest in potential dermatologic events or dermatologic mentorship. Students also expressed frustration with the lack of representation in the field from both an academic and clinical standpoint.