Mini Workshops
Defining Success and Failures
Neishay Ayub - Brown University
Location: Session Room 1, Table A
When creating pathway programs, it is important to remain thoughtful about the goals for such programs and how one can measure success or failure. Designs should include discussion with key stakeholders of the community, understanding what their goals/needs may be, key performance metrics, and plan for follow-up. Without follow-up on outcomes, programs may be perceive to provide a service, but may not make a meaningful change.
A Practical Guide to Using Google Classroom as an Accessible Host for Online or Hybrid Pathway Programs
Brianne Lewis - Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Kyeorda Kemp - Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Location: Session Room 1, Table B
Note: Attendees should have a gmail.com email address or create one prior to joining this session.
White non-Hispanic individuals account for 49% of the population under the age of 18 (1). However, individuals that are white and wealthy make up the majority of the individuals that enter into STEMM fields (2). K-12 outreach programs play a critical role in increasing the diversity in STEMM careers by introducing young students to these fields (3). Traditionally, universities have implemented programs on their campuses. However, there are barriers to participation such as time, finances, familial responsibilities and transportation. Asynchronous and hybrid online programs can help mitigate these barriers, but still provide opportunities for discussion, student interaction, and research (4).
In, Through, Onward: Designing Culturally-Competent Mentorship for Underrepresented First-Generation Students in Second-Chance Programs - Student and Faculty Perspectives
Cristina Benites - Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University
Arkene Levy - Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University
Maritza Bernard - Donald R. Tapia College of Business, Saint Leo University, Florida
Emilee Tennen - Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University
Michelle Demory - Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University
Location: Session Room 2, Table A
Medical institutions must prioritize diversity and inclusivity in their admission and educational processes to produce a more adaptable physician workforce. UriM-FGLI students face unique obstacles, which can have a negative effect on their enrollment, academic performance, and retention in medical school. This session will highlight these obstacles and brainstorm strategies for assisting UriM-FGLI pre-medical students in succeeding in second-chance programs.
What Does Effective, Inclusive Feedback Actually Look Like in Various Learning Spaces? A Role-Playing Workshop
Jonathan Wisco - Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Anya Goldina - Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Elizabethtown College
Location: Session Room 2, Table B
Providing constructive feedback is one of the most influential contributions faculty can make to a learner’s and/or advisee’s long-term development and success. Educators often report feeling discomfort during feedback interactions due to limited training, a lack of confidence, and concerns about how the recipient may react to the feedback. Learners and advisees often report feeling attacked or judged or express frustration that the feedback they are receiving is unhelpful, unfair, or inaccurate. This session aims to promote more positive and productive feedback interactions by introducing an inviting and collaborative approach.
Developing an Innovative and Collaborative Plan to Evaluate the Impact of Pathway Programs
Julia Derk - Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Collective for Psychiatric Neuroengineering
Amber Richardson - Duke University
Charles Muiruri- Duke University
Tony Fuller- Duke University
Location: Session Room 2, Table C
Pathway programs are rapidly emerging to support learners in gaining access to mentorship, immersive experiences, and to acquire skills that will propel their careers. However, significant bottlenecks in recruiting and retaining learners in pathway programs exist in part due to large administrative burdens and a lack of data for how to do this well. Furthermore, when evaluating the ultimate impact of these pathway programs a constant issue that surfaces is the question of how to retain learners long-term.
Roundtable Discussions
Creating a Shadowing Program for UiM Pre-College and College Students: Benefits and Barriers, a Problem Solving Session
Kyla Dewar - Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School
Luckson Omoaregba - Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Joseph Diaz - Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Location: Session Room 4, Table A
Shadowing is integral for improving pre-medical students’ confidence, self-efficacy, motivation, and understanding of the culture of medicine. It is also important for medical school applications. We believe shadowing experiences may in turn increase students who are underrepresented in medicine (UiMs) likelihood of pursuing a career in medicine. UiMs face particular barriers to shadowing, as most learners arrange shadowing experiences through personal connections, which are often limited. Our early work has shown that even when shadowing experiences are offered there are still barriers to overcome. We believe that a problem solving session would be immensely beneficial to improve shadowing opportunities.
ASBPB’s aim is to support the development and implementation of programs that help create an inclusive and equitable pathway to STEMM careers. We believe that creating more equitable and accessible shadowing programs are necessary to support a diverse group of students to succeed on their path to a career in Medicine.
Shadowing is integral for improving pre-medical students’ confidence, self-efficacy, motivation, and understanding of the culture of medicine. It is often an important part of an application to medical school. UiMs face particular barriers to shadowing, as most learners arrange shadowing experiences through personal connections which is harder to secure for UiM students. We believe facilitating shadowing provides an experience that will increase UiMs’ likelihood of successfully pursuing a career in medicine.
Our preliminary work has shown that even when shadowing opportunities are available there are still barriers to shadowing that pre-college and college students face. These included transport, conflicting demands on time, and ability to complete all the documentation. We believe that by discussing others successes and challenges we can learn from each other, anticipate other potential barriers and create more robust and successful shadowing programs.
For those students able to shadow in our programs they reported that it allowed them to picture a career as a physician and solidified their interest in pursuing a career in medicine. Beyond improving personal confidence and understanding of the practice of medicine, shadowing can be a necessary component of medical school application. It is thus vital for us to come together to solve the problems creating barriers to shadowing and create these important opportunities for UiM students on the path to medicine.
Value of Medical-Student-Led Health Science Outreach Program in IPV Transitional Housing Centers
Jeffrey Nosek - Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Ravi Trivedi - Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Location: Session Room 4, Table B
Medical students at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) created a health science program for children and parents at the YWCA, a shelter for victims of domestic abuse, to improve health literacy and interest of participants while providing student educational growth opportunities. The program leaders share lessons learned in creating an educational outreach program for a marginalized population and invite the audience to consider how similar programs may be implemented at their medical schools and within their own communities.
The Health Science for All (HSFA) program at WMed is a novel educational outreach intervention to bring high-quality, interactive health science education to a marginalized population. With goals to increase understanding of health science, increase interest in health science careers, and develop participating medical students’ teaching skills all while serving a marginalized population encountering intimate partner violence (IPV), this program aligns directly with the ASPBP values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We hope that this program serves as a model for those at other institutions to make a similar impact within their communities.
Educational disparity is a pervasive issue across the United States, with the quality of education that children receive varying dramatically by zip code. Disparities in quality of education have been linked to disparities in population health and discrepancies in healthcare provider representation from lower income areas. Accordingly, providing disadvantaged areas with supplemental educational programs is of the utmost importance to affect both societal and health outcomes for students.
The roundtable discussion will focus on how a similar program at other medical schools could be implemented and integrated within the medical school’s curriculum. Audience members will be asked to identify organizations within their community that serve a marginalized population that would benefit from a health science outreach program. Challenges to implementation will be discussed as well as potential solutions for each audience member’s unique program. Ideally, audience members will leave with an identified organization for partnership, a connection between the proposed program and current medical school curriculum, and a timeline for implementation.
Children in shelters represent a unique population who experience household dysfunction and have an increased risk of poor physical and mental health at an early age. Moreover, children of mothers exposed to IPV score lower on tests of mathematics, English, and nonverbal reasoning. Research has shown that while disadvantaged children are less likely to participate in extracurriculars for financial and practical reasons, these children often experience greater benefits from participation. There is a lack of programs such as HSFA and research on health science outreach programs serving marginalized populations within academic literature.
Helping Your Students/Alumni Write About "Other Impactful Experiences"
Emil Chuck - Health Professional Student Association
Location: Session Room 4, Table C
Beginning in 2024, AMCAS and ERAS applicants will have an opportunity to discuss "Other Impactful Experiences" that define their motivation to pursue medicine/residency. This is a great opportunity for alumni of pathway programs to reflect on the impact of their experiences. Because this is a new essay prompt, students may need guidance from program directors and admissions professionals to submit an effective and authentic response.
Alumni from pipeline programs have an opportunity to disclose impactful experiences that define their interest in pursuing a health professional/STEM career. The character limit for these essay prompts restricts what a candidate may want to disclose, and it is not clear how admissions professionals and committees will evaluate their essays. The proposed workshop will focus on how pathway program directors and faculty can help applicants write about possible answers to the prompt, including their own participation in a pathway program.
Beginning in 2024, AMCAS and ERAS applicants will have an opportunity to discuss "Other Impactful Experiences" that define their motivation to pursue medicine/residency. This is a great opportunity for alumni of pathway programs to reflect on the impact of their experiences. Because this is a new essay prompt, students may need guidance from program directors and admissions professionals to submit an effective and authentic response.
By crowdsourcing insights from conference participants, a guide for AMCAS/ERAS applicants can be drafted and ultimately distributed to alumni of pathway programs.
How are candidates encouraged to reflect on the impact a pathway program has had on their readiness for a health professional career?
Factors that Contribute to the Diversity and Success of Pathway Programs
Madison Ellin - The Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
Mollie Asiedu - Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Malin Lilley - Texas A&M University - San Antonio
Margaret Maimone - SUNY Upstate Medical University
Shavonia Wynn - Belmont University, The Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine
Jonathan Wisco - The Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
Marisol Lopez - The Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
Location: Session Room 5, Table A
Several factors continue to impact the representation of URM students in medical schools such as financial barriers, insufficient generational physician mentors, lack of a sense of belonging, and academic struggles. Pathway programs have been established to increase the diversity of applicants who are seeking admission into medical school through providing a myriad of supports for applications, building academic skills, mentorship, creating sense of community, and engagement in experiential learning. The purpose of this roundtable is to learn about the strengths and challenges of current pathway programs to address the need for diversification of medical school matriculants.
This topic of discussion is in alignment with the mission of ASPBP to identify the best, evidence-based practices for ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion within the biomedical sciences space, specifically aimed at the matriculation of underrepresented students into medical school. Those in attendance at the ASPBP conference represent a shared passion for this mission and will serve as strong representatives at a round table focused on improving existing pathway programs while providing valuable information for institutions interested in creating similar resources for their students and community.
The percentage of underrepresented minority (URM) physicians does not match the national population demographics these positions serve. Evidence has shown that URM healthcare providers deliver culturally competent care, are more likely to work with URM populations, and are critical in addressing the prevalent health disparities affecting underserved populations across the nation. Creating supportive, inclusive, and diverse spaces for URM students to pursue careers in medicine is vital to the success of improving the diversity of the physician workforce long term.
Given the importance of recruiting and retaining underrepresented populations into medical careers, successful pathway programs can serve as a strong bridge point for students to achieve this goal. Pathway programs were created to address this need but each program offers a unique means of achieving this goal. This round table serves as a space where various professionals within the DEI space can come together to discuss their important perspectives on factors of a successful pathway program. In addition, participants will identify the challenges associated with operating these programs and contribute to a brainstorming session focused on realistic solutions.
Pathway programs, while addressing a critical need for diversifying the physician workforce, experience challenges that may limit their ability to provide a consistent, effective, bridge into medical school. 1) Although students are attending pathways, they ultimately choose to attend another institution for their professional education or follow other interests. 2) High cost or giving up paid employment has created gaps in the ability of URM students to participate, given the need to provide for their families. 3) Pathways are most successful when they can provide longitudinal support for URM students which can be cost intensive and strain sparse institutional resources.
Strategies to Attract Quality Applicants for Enrollment in Post-Baccalaureate Programs; Adapting to Post-Pandemic Reality
Sabyasachi Moulik - Florida International University
Barbra Roller - Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Location: Session Room 5, Table B
Several reports have indicated a sharp drop in graduate student enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-baccalaureate programs are particularly affected. Factors that might be affecting student enrollment in post-baccalaureate programs are rising tuition costs, increase in need for financial assistance, lack of federal loans for certificate programs, rising interest rates, and the fear of global recession. Many students must seek employment to pay for these programs or to assist their families. FIU HWCOM’s Graduate Certificate in Molecular and Biomedical Sciences has faced similar challenges and is rapidly adapting to the post-pandemic reality.
These problems faced by post-baccalaureate programs and their solutions align with the mission and vision of ASPBP: the belief that strategies to increase the principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion should be rooted in evidence-driven practices and that cooperation and teamwork are crucial to solving complex problems.
This round table discussion will enable participants to address the challenges that are impediments for student enrollment and success in post-baccalaureate programs.
The depleting student enrollment is negatively impacting many post-baccalaureate programs. Faculty salary and infrastructure in many post-baccalaureate programs depends on student enrollment. If this trend of decreasing student enrollment continues it might lead to increase in faculty attrition, and closure of post-baccalaureate programs. At FIU HWCOM, the Graduate Certificate in Molecular & Biomedical Sciences program aims to attract students who are good fit and enroll 60 students each academic year for the program to be financially viable. It is important that we discuss the challenges that we have had with enrollment, student success, student retention, and adapting to post-pandemic reality.
A round table discussion about challenges and successes of student enrollment in the post-pandemic environment will enable us to share best practices with each other. These discussions will help increase student enrollment in these programs and identify strategies to serve a wider and more diverse population of students. At FIU HWCOM we have redeveloped our website to include student testimonials, hold information sessions online, and have changed the admissions requirements to include international students. We have recently received permission to hold our classes in a synchronous-remote hybrid format, so that students may reside in a wider geographic area.
Declining student enrollment is a cause of major concern. There needs to be more focus on attracting students who are good fit for our programs, than exclusively on numbers. Emphasizing quantity over quality leads to students dropping out or needing high levels of academic support.
Strategies to improve student enrollment, and challenges of attracting and retaining students who are good fit will be addressed. We aim to discuss if there has been a post-pandemic decline in quality of students who are applying for post-baccalaureate programs. We will share resources and ideas that will help students succeed in our programs.
Promoting Diversity in STEM in a Polarized Political Climate
Tyler Gibb - Western Michigan University
Kirsten Porter-Stransky - University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Edgar Meyer - University of Mississippi Medical Center
Location: Session Room 5, Table C
The current volatile landscape of the United States regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming and topics has many administrators and educators at institutions of higher education concerned. This volatility is due to recent legislation passed in a number of different states impacting DEI and the uncertainty about the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action in higher education admissions. Many educators and administrators within pathway and bridge programs are in search of solutions to achieve their respective DEI missions in legal and non-confrontational ways.
The mission of ASPBP is to “develop best practices needed to achieve inclusivity and equity across the continuum of education.” Various legislation emerging across the United States is impacting organizations’ abilities to teach DEI and include affirmative action in admissions policies. Therefore, this topic is central to much of the work that ASPBP members are doing to enhance the diversity, inclusivity, and equitable offerings of their respective programs.
With an increasingly polarized political climate, some states are passing legislation to regulate DEI efforts. This prevents many universities and organizations from using race or ethnicity as a factor in admissions as well as impacts DEI instruction in the classroom. Members of ASPBP must navigate these potential obstacles within their DEI work. This roundtable discussion offers an opportunity to discuss the implications of DEI legislation on pathway programs and admissions. It also offers an opportunity to consider how to find common ground with those of differing viewpoints on how to achieve diversity and inclusion within higher education and STEM.
This discussion will focus on how to continue creating pathways and bridges for those traditionally underrepresented in medicine and science within the evolving political landscapes across the United States. Speakers will include a pathway program faculty member and a post-baccalaureate program director, both of whom have experience serving underserved and underrepresented students. The discussion will also include an overview of key federal and state laws governing DEI-related issues. Participants can share struggles and successes of navigating DEI efforts with increased restrictions. Together, attendees will brainstorm strategies for continuing this important work and finding common ground with those of differing viewpoints.
Major challenges faced by institutions bereft of DEI programming include devising innovative ways to continue providing services to underserved and underrepresented students under the guise of neutral language without DEI connections. This practice detracts from the vision of DEI, pathway, and bridge programs and the mission of ASPBP. Professional societies and institutions of higher learning should not feel bullied into devising new language failing adequately to describe and address vulnerable populations in need of being served. ASPBP as an organization of DEI advocates can serve as a platform for the dissemination and sharing of ideas to mitigate this issue.