Abstract
Representation of under-represented minority (URM) faculty in the health sciences disciplines is persistently low relative to both national and student population demographics. Although some progress has been made through nationally funded pipeline development programs, demographic disparities in the various health sciences disciplines remain. As such the development of innovative interventions to help URM faculty and students overcome barriers to advancement remains a national priority. To date, the majority of pipeline development programs have focused on academic readiness, mentorship, and professional development. However, insights from the social sciences literature related to "extra-academic" (e.g., racism) barriers to URM persistence in higher education suggest the limitations of efforts exclusively focused on cognitively mediated endpoints. The purpose of this article is to synthesize findings from the social sciences literature that can inform the enhancement of URM pipeline development programs. Specifically, we highlight research related to the social, emotional, and contextual correlates of URM success in higher education including reducing social isolation, increasing engagement with research, bolstering persistence, enhancing mentoring models, and creating institutional change. Supporting URM's success in the health sciences has implications for the development of a workforce with the capacity to understand and intervene on the drivers of health inequalities.
Highlights
In the United States (US), the reduction of persistent health inequalities based on race and ethnicity remains a significant public health priority
The current landscape of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths associated with the coronavirus pandemic further underscores the urgency of addressing health inequalities in this country
In the past 10 months, more than 267,000 Americans have died as a result of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus
Summary
In the United States (US), the reduction of persistent health inequalities based on race and ethnicity remains a significant public health priority. The current landscape of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths associated with the coronavirus pandemic further underscores the urgency of addressing health inequalities in this country. Blacks account for 22.9% of all COVID-19 deaths while representing only 13.4% of the total US population [1]. Many of these patterns are observed in Latinx and Native American communities with COVID-19 disparities even more pronounced in cities and tribal areas with high concentrations of economic disadvantage [2]. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 epidemic among US racial/ethnic minorities requires culturally informed responses and underscores the urgent need to diversify the health care delivery workforce and the biomedical and health sciences research workforce
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