The first week of August was an exciting and busy time at the Columbus Medical Association as the third cohort of Made for Medicine students made their way through phase 1 of the program.

This cohort was a special one for several reasons, but mainly because all the participants were Black girls. According to the AAMC 2019 Diversity in Medicine Facts and Figures report, African Americans make up only 5% of the U.S. physician workforce, and 2.8% are Black women. For this reason, Made for Medicine, which was created to serve as a programmatic solution to redress the underrepresentation of African Americans in the medical field, teamed up with the Eryn PiNK She’s Gold Leadership Program to recruit Black girls for this summer session.

The entire week was made possible by the Department of Neighborhoods Commission on Black Girls. This initiative was formed by Former City Councilwomen, Priscilla Tyson, to enhance the quality of life for Black girls in Central Ohio. The 15 participants of this cohort were able to attend thanks to the generous funding and support provided by this commission.

Made for Medicine was founded by Dr. Laura Espy-Bell and is designed to support African American or Black middle and high school students with an interest in the field of medicine by providing them with critical foundational knowledge, hands-on learning, simulations, case-study analyses, mentoring and more. The program is divided into 3 phases that include: Introduction to Medicine (Grades 6-7), Deeper Dive (Grades 8-9), and Commitment to Medicine (Grades 10-12). The goal of Made for Medicine is for participants to leave the program with solid preparation and commitment to pursuing a future career in medicine.

See below to see photos and a video from the week, as well as the White Coat Ceremony graduation video.