Abstract P188: Building A Pipeline To Address San Joaquin Health Inequity

Abstract

Introduction: San Joaquin Valley (SJV) is the most underserved valley for health care with the lowest ratios of physicians for any region in California. For the last 40 years, SJV continues to face health inequity and disparities with not enough physicians to tend to the community. With a diverse community of low income and minority groups, the lack of physicians do not represent the workforce of SJV. Many of the talented youth who aspire to be physicians from SJV leave to bigger cities rather than coming back to enrich their vulnerable communities. Objectives: I created no cost pipeline medical programs (summer program, year long internships and online class) for SJV high school students to increase diversity in the medical profession, encourage underrepresented in medicine (URM) students to pursue medicine and come back to SJV to practice medicine in an effort to lower the patient provider gap. Methods: I trained and provided mentorship to medically ambitious low-income high school students in the programs to better understand SJV health inequity to instill a passion in them to come back after their medical education to practice medicine in SJV. Through the program, students learned about SJV health disparities and applied precision medicine to their own health inequity projects in SJV. Findings: -About 46% (33 of 72) of program participants were first generation -About 47% (34 of 72) of program participants identified as URM -About 65% (47 of 72) of program participants aspire to practice medicine in SJV -About 83% (60 of 72) of program participants feel that the pipeline program has helped them solidify their passion in medicine -About 100% (72 of 72) of program participants feel the program gave them guidance in health disparities, precision medicine, and applying design thinking concepts as a future leader in medicine Direct Outcomes: -Students were able to understanding community concerns beyond science and apply community activism through a precision medicine lens -Served as agents of change by directly communicating with physicians and understanding the need for more URM physicians -Students received mentorship and confidence to rise as first generation college students -Youth learned the value of service to disadvantaged communities