Transformative co-mentoring: changing the healthcare profession by honoring roots and fostering wings

Abstract

ABSTRACT The underrepresentation of minorities from rural communities in U.S. health professions has resulted in a lack of cultural understanding and inadequate healthcare for people of color and the poor. Described is the Roots to Wings (RTW) program, a partnership between higher education institutions and Native American tribes and schools. The heart of the program is Transformative Co-Mentoring (TCM), a relationship between individuals, with the goal of fostering cultural understanding and creating lasting changes for those involved and their environments. RTW focuses on the implementation of TCM, which is practiced in teams of university medical students, Native Americans, and Latino students living on Native American lands. RTW seeks to increase American Indian/Alaska Natives (AIAN) and Latinos in the health professions, decrease health inequities, reform medical student preparation, and enhance health care professionals’ understanding of AIAN and Latino communities. Presented are preliminary findings of program impact from participants’ perspective and lessons learned.