Increasing racially and ethnically underrepresented women in medical school through an innovative program

In 2014, women comprised nearly half of medical school graduates; yet, the proportion of female medical students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups remains low. The Association of American Medical Colleges, recognizing this disparity, introduced the term “underrepresented in medicine” (URM) to refer to those groups that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population. The United States (US) has experienced a continual increase in diverse populations, but the number of URM physicians has not risen to match this pace. At the same time, the persistent shortage of primary care physicians, particularly those in family medicine who serve high-need populations, is a well-documented phenomenon.