Understanding and Offsetting Financial Barriers for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
Programs, Partnerships, and Pathways
Gilda A. Barabino,
Theodore J. Corbin, Jr., and
Paula Whitacre, Rapporteurs
Cato T. Laurencin, Editor
Roundtable on Black Men and
Black Women in Science,
Engineering, and Medicine
Policy and Global Affairs
Health and Medicine Division
Proceedings of a Workshop
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health (HHSN263201800029I/ 75N98021F00006). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-68889-5
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Understanding and Offsetting Financial Barriers for Black Students in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Programs, Partnerships, and Pathways: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26576.
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REDUCING FINANCIAL BARRIERS PLANNING COMMITTEE
GILDA A. BARABINO (Co-chair) (NAE/NAM), Olin College of Engineering
THEODORE J. CORBIN, Jr. (Co-chair), Drexel University College of Medicine
GEORGE Q. DALEY (NAM), Harvard Medical School
MARC NIVET, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
LOUIS W. SULLIVAN (NAM), The Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions
Project Staff
MARIA LUND DAHLBERG, Senior Program Officer, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
LYNNETTE LUSENAKA, Program Officer, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
REGINALD HAYES, Associate Program Officer, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
MARQUITA WHITING, Senior Program Assistant, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
TOM ARRISON, Program Director, Policy and Global Affairs (until May 2021)
PAULA W. WHITACRE, Consultant Writer
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ROUNDTABLE ON BLACK MEN AND BLACK WOMEN IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
CATO T. LAURENCIN (NAS/NAE/NAM) (Chair), University of Connecticut Health
OLUJIMI AJIJOLA, UCLA Medical Center
GILDA A. BARABINO (NAE/NAM), Olin College of Engineering
CHARLES R. BRIDGES, JR., Janssen Research & Development, LLC
CEDRIC BRIGHT, East Carolina University
L. D. BRITT (NAM), Eastern Virginia Medical School
ANDRÉ L. CHURCHWELL, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
THEODORE CORBIN, Drexel University
GEORGE Q. DALEY (NAM), Harvard Medical School
WAYNE FREDERICK, Howard University
PAULA T. HAMMOND (NAS/NAE/NAM), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
EVELYNN M. HAMMONDS (NAM), Harvard University
LYNNE M. HOLDEN, Montefiore Medical Center
CAMARA P. JONES, Morehouse School of Medicine
CORA BAGLEY MARRETT, University of Wisconsin–Madison
VALERIE MONTGOMERY RICE (NAM), Morehouse School of Medicine
RANDALL C. MORGAN, JR., W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute
ELIZABETH O. OFILI (NAM), Morehouse School of Medicine
VIVIAN W. PINN (NAM), National Institutes of Health (Retired)
JOAN Y. REEDE (NAM), Harvard Medical School
LOUIS W. SULLIVAN (NAM), Morehouse School of Medicine
HANNAH VALANTINE (NAM), Stanford University
CLYDE W. YANCY (NAM), Northwestern University
MARK ALEXANDER (Ex Officio Member), 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
MARIE BERNARD (Ex Officio Member), National Institutes of Health
KIMBERLY BRYANT (Ex Officio Member), Black Girls CODE
IVORY DEAN (Ex Officio Member), Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
GARTH N. GRAHAM (NAM) (Ex Officio Member), Google, Inc.
IAN HENRY (Ex Officio Member), Procter & Gamble Company
ORLANDO KIRTON (Ex Officio Member), Society of Black Academic Surgeons
JOHN R. LUMPKIN (NAM) (Ex Officio Member), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
SHIRLEY MALCOM (NAS) (Ex Officio Member), American Association for the Advancement of Science
ALFRED MAYS (Ex Officio Member), Burroughs Wellcome Fund
LAMONT R. TERRELL (Ex Officio Member), GlaxoSmithKline
Project Staff
MARIA LUND DAHLBERG, Senior Program Officer, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
LYNNETTE LUSENAKA, Program Officer, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
REGINALD HAYES, Associate Program Officer, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
MARQUITA WHITING, Senior Program Assistant, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
TOM ARRISON, Program Director, Policy and Global Affairs (until May 2021)
Preface
It is an honor for me to serve as chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and serve as the editor of this first series of proceedings publications from the Roundtable. Our work originated in 2015 when I and leaders of the W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association Health Institute recognized the growing absence of Black men in medical schools. In fact, levels of Black men entering medical school reached a historic low in 2015 and 2016. Starting in 2016, and with financial support from important partners such as the Aetna Foundation, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Connecticut Legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, we planned a National Academies workshop on issues surrounding the absence of Black men in medicine. The joint workshop entitled “The Growing Absence of Black Men in Medicine and Science” took place in 2017. It was historic, in that to my knowledge it was the first National Academies activity specifically focused on issues involving Black people. The proceedings is entitled An American Crisis: The Growing Absence of Black Men in Medicine and Science. It was released in May 2018, and corresponded to a briefing on the subject of Black men and medicine with the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C. Many of the ideas that emerged from the workshop have been embraced by academia, industry, and philanthropy. But those conversations also highlighted that more needs to be done.
Our next steps have involved the development of a more permanent presence in the National Academies to discuss issues surrounding Black men and
Black women in science, engineering, and medicine. With support from our anchor partners named above, along with the Johnson & Johnson Company, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the University of Pittsburg, and with the continued leadership and commitment from Dr. Victor Dzau, the president of the National Academy of Medicine, the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine was launched late in 2018. I am grateful to the steering committee members for the Roundtable: Drs. L. D. Britt, Cedric M. Bright, George Q. Daley, Randall C. Morgan Jr., Elizabeth O. Ofili, Vivian W. Pinn, and Louis W. Sullivan.
In April 2021, the Roundtable organized a workshop aimed at addressing financial barriers for Black students in science, engineering, and medicine. Financial pressures can create incredible barriers for successfully pursuing scientific careers, and often result in make-or-break decisions regarding students’ futures. The overall goal of the workshop was to explore innovative ideas that could ultimately become policies to help ensure the success and vitality of Black students pursuing careers in science, engineering, and medicine.
I am grateful to the co-chairs of the workshop, Dr. Gilda Barabino and Dr. Theodore Corbin Jr. They worked hard to put in place successfully an innovative workshop and create new ideas and new information on the issue of Black students and financing. Reducing financial barriers could appear to be a daunting challenge. As discussed in the proceedings, Black people have historically been placed at a lower point on the economic scale, but current generations have experienced a disturbing downward trend in economic mobility. This, coupled with the rising costs of education, creates an environment that places high financial pressures on Black students interested in science. Participants discussed current strategies ranging from ensconcing students at an early age in science programs, building resilience, and disarming opposition. Some of the most interesting discussions centered on creating systemic changes that would bring about lasting solutions to issues regarding financing. The thoughts and ideas presented in this proceedings are robust, and I believe they provide a blueprint for further action. As with the Roundtable’s previous proceedings, they are meant to move us to action. I look forward to viewing the important follow-on work of this action group of the Roundtable.
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. (NAS/NAE/NAM) Chair, Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine University Professor, University of Connecticut
Acknowledgments
This Proceedings of a Workshop was prepared by the workshop rapporteurs as a factual summary of what was presented and discussed at the workshop. The planning committee’s role was limited to planning and convening the workshop. The statements made are those of the rapporteurs and do not necessarily represent positions of the workshop participants as a whole, the planning committee, or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. We wish to extend sincere thanks to all the members of the planning committee for their contributions in scoping, developing, and carrying out this project.
This proceedings has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments to assist the institution in making its published proceedings as sound as possible and ensure the document meets institutional standards for quality and objectivity. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings: Portia Flowers, National Science Foundation; Misty Heggeness, U.S. Census Bureau; John Rich, Drexel University; Darla Thompson, American Association for the Advancement of Science; and Rochelle Williams, National Society of Black Engineers. Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and
suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings, nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by Cora Marrett, University of Wisconsin-Madison (retired). Appointed by the National Academies, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this proceedings rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the institution.
Contents
Organization of This Proceedings
2 ADDRESSING BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE WORKFORCE OF THE FUTURE
3 SUPPORTIVE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
The Importance of Relationships
Highlights from the National Workforce Development Pipeline Initiatives
4 CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE
5 FELLOWSHIPS, PHILANTHROPY, AND INDUSTRY
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering
6 BEYOND FINANCES: LIVING, GROWING, AND THRIVING IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AS A STANDARD
Boston University College of Engineering
Duke University School of Medicine
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
7 POLICIES, PROGRAMS, AND RESOURCES
Congressional Perspective: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson
“Fireside Chat”: Dr. Gilda Barabino and Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath
APPENDIXES