{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.02259475218658892, 'fraction_numerical': 0.008017492711370262, 'mean_word_length': 5.1083086053412465, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Commentary on "Underrepresented minorities in academic medicine: is Florida better off?".

In this issue of the Southern Medical Journal, Campbell and colleagues draw attention to one of the seemingly insurmountable issues faced by academic medicine and medical educationVthe persistent underrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic groups, particularly those who self-identify as black or African American. The facts are, of course, incontrovertible, and this article reiterates them in the context of the demographics of one state, Florida. According to the authors, 1 in 6 people in Florida’s population is black, but only 1 in 20 of its licensed physicians is black, and a scant 1 in 25 of its academic physicians is black. It is not difficult to find the origins of this story of underrepresentation. America’s history of racial discrimination includes the segregation of medical education and the exclusion of black physicians from professional organizations. Although things have changed and many laudable and wellintentioned efforts have been made, data released from the Association of American Medical Colleges (applicant and enrollment data charts) show that things have not changed enough. One in 8 people in the general US population self-identifies as black or African American, but only 1 in 13 of those entering the medical school class of 2013 identified in this way. Moreover, although the percentage increase in the number of black matriculants (12%) since 2008 has kept pace with the overall increase in matriculant numbers, it is in contrast to the significant rise in the numbers of Asian American (25%) and Hispanic American (33%) matriculants. Supreme Court Justice Sandra DayO’Connor, writing in the 2003 decision inGrutter v Bollinger, the landmark case addressing the use of race in college admissions, noted that we should ‘‘expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.’’ By the time the children currently in kindergarten are ready to apply for medical school, the use of race in admissions, albeit narrowly tailored and strictly scrutinized, should be obsolete. The Campbell et al article recommends that to address the issue, Florida’s next medical school should be part of one of its historically black colleges and universities. This strategy has significant advantages if it provides, as it should, encouragement, support, and a peer group for individuals who may find themselves isolated and struggling in other medical school settings. It also is a strategy that could have an impact soon, given that it may admit its first class in the next 5 years and graduate them within the next decade. There are, of course, potential disadvantages, not the least of which is that such a school may attract individuals who bring much-needed diversity away from other schools, thereby diminishing the richness of the educational environment of their medical school classes. We are, I hope, beyond the time that we look narrowly at the diversity of our own medical schools and instead focus on how we can enrich the applicant pool as a whole, irrespective of each student’s eventual destination. A medical school at a historically black college could bring new perspective to the thoughtful and effective implementation of recruitment and selection strategies, with the potential for the applicant pool to grow both in size and diversity and the potential for that growth to affect the applicant pool throughout Florida, and perhaps even outside the state. Nevertheless, it is not a strategy that will address all of the issues and those recommending it do not pretend that it will. The hard work that has gone into the development of pipeline and outreach programs and into the use of holistic review in medical school selection must continue. In addition, there are the ongoing educational disparities that affect all of our children and that, according to the American Psychological Association, ‘‘cry out for immediate, sustained, and profound attention.’’ What are we going to do about those and when?