Mississippi is grappling with a significant shortage of Black doctors, with only 1 in 10 physicians identifying as Black in a state where nearly 40% of the population is African American. This disparity persists despite efforts by medical schools to recruit more diverse students, as Republican opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs threatens to exacerbate existing health disparities.
At the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, only 12% of enrolled students are Black. Research has shown that patients of color prefer doctors of their own race, and some studies indicate better health outcomes for Black patients seeing Black doctors. However, since 2023, more than two dozen states have introduced or passed laws restricting DEI programs in higher education.
Dr. Demondes Haynes, associate dean of medical school admissions, noted the historical context, saying, “A lot of the Black physicians in the state have a bitter taste in their mouth about our medical school.” The institution didn’t admit its first Black student until 1972, nearly a decade after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
To address this issue, the medical school hosts an annual African American Visit Day and offers test prep programs for rejected applicants from underrepresented backgrounds. Despite these efforts, challenges remain. As Jerrian Reedy, a first-year medical student, puts it, “Mississippi history — everybody remembers it. And those people who experienced it, it’s hard for them.”
See “Mississippi Lacks Black Doctors Amid Attacks on Diversity Efforts” (July 2, 2024)
