老司机直播

Faculty of Medicine program opens opportunities to Black MD students

14 Black students entered medical school in first cycle of new admissions pathway
Photo of Chantal Phillips
Chantal Phillips, a first-year medical student, applied under the new Black Student Application Program (photo by Julia Soudat)
Growing up, Chantal Phillips was not sure whether medical school was for her. It wasn鈥檛 because she wasn鈥檛 interested, but because she couldn鈥檛 see anyone like herself practising medicine.
 
Now in her first year of the MD program at the University of Toronto, she reflected on how race and poverty made medical school seem unattainable at a recent public consultation session on the Black Student Application Program (BSAP). The program launched in early 2017 and welcomed its first cohort this fall.
 
鈥淚 grew up in poverty, but I didn鈥檛 realize it until I was six,鈥 said Phillips, who was raised in Toronto鈥檚 Jane and Finch community. 鈥淚 was visiting my step-family in Vaughan when it hit me. I saw those kids had opportunities to be doctors that I didn鈥檛. But now, I am the first person in my family to go to university and I will be the first to be a doctor.鈥
 
The public session was an opportunity to report back to the community about the success of BSAP鈥檚 first admissions cycle.
 
鈥淲e鈥檙e here to talk about a program that we鈥檙e very proud of,鈥 said Professor Patricia Houston, vice-dean of the MD program in the Faculty of Medicine.
 

'When you grow up not knowing or seeing a single doctor of colour ... it makes you question why things are the way they are'

In BSAP鈥檚 first year, 14 students were admitted to the MD program through that pathway. At the time BSAP launched, just one student in the first year class was Black. In previous years, generally fewer than five per cent of MD students identified as Black.
 
鈥淲e鈥檙e passionate about creating a great opportunity, not just for those admitted through BSAP, but for all of our students who will benefit from more diverse colleagues,鈥 said Houston.
 
Professor David Latter, director of MD admissions and student finances, stressed that the increase in Black MD students was not the result of any quota. BSAP applicants still have to meet the same rigorous admission standards as all other applicants.
 
鈥淚 think one of the reasons we saw this increase is because 老司机直播 is being seen opening our doors and showing that we鈥檙e serious in our commitment to welcome more Black students into our program,鈥 said Latter.
Some of the faculty and staff who helped establish and run the Black Student Application Program. From left, Dr. Lisa Robinson, Dr. Ren茅e Beach, Dr. David Latter, La Toya Dennie, Lindsay Jackowetz, Leslie Taylor, Ike Okafor and Hana Lee (photo by Erin Howe)
 
Students who apply through BSAP, in addition to meeting the standard admission requirements, are required to write an additional 250-word personal essay. As part of the admissions process, members of the Black community 鈥 as well as Black physicians, faculty members, and students 鈥 take part in admissions file reviews and admission interviews.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l see applicants who are doing great things, but they鈥檙e not working a part-time job or babysitting their brothers and sisters. Having an appreciation for those other commitments is an important lens too when you鈥檙e trying to identify people who make great doctors,鈥 said Garwe.
 
BSAP is only one of the initiatives intended to diversify 老司机直播鈥檚 MD program, which is based on a similar program aimed at Indigenous students. In 2015, 老司机直播 established Community of Support to enable students who are Indigenous, Black, Filipino, economically disadvantaged or who self-identify with having a disability, at every stage of their journey to medical school. This includes admissions advising, mentoring and support through the application process, including MCAT and interview preparation. Under the leadership of Ike Okafor, the MD program鈥檚 senior officer, service learning, the program has spread to other medical schools across Canada.
 
And, for nearly 25 years, the Faculty of Medicine has hosted the summer mentorship program, which gives high school students of Indigenous or African ancestry a chance to explore health sciences at the university over four weeks in July.  More than 800 students have participated in the program since it was established.
 
While it鈥檚 important to open up new pathways to medical schools, said Dr. Onye Nnorom, Black health lead of the MD program, it鈥檚 also important to provide a culturally safe and supportive space for Black students when they arrive. In partnership with the Black Physicians鈥 Association of Ontario, Nnorom has been working with Dr. Ren茅e Beach to establish a mentorship program for Black MD students. She has also incorporated more information about cultural safety and population-specific health needs into the MD curriculum.
 
鈥淲e want to ensure our students feel safe and secure so they can focus on their studies and do what they need to do to succeed,鈥 said Nnorom.
 
That work is appreciated by Phillips, who admits to having a sense of 鈥渋mposter syndrome鈥 as a new medical student.
 
鈥淚 sometimes feel like I don鈥檛 belong. But I remind myself I do, and then do the inner work that makes me realize it鈥檚 true.鈥
The Bulletin Brief logo

Subscribe to The Bulletin Brief

Faculty of Medicine