New York Fund Encourages Minorities To Pursue Careers In Medical Research

Colleen Buggs longed to pursue a career in biomedical research. But Buggs, a black woman, noted how few minorities had appointments on medical school faculties and wondered if it would be more prudent to steer away from academic medicine. During Buggs's first year at Harvard Medical School, however, she met a faculty member whose very presence exemplified what Buggs herself was capable of achieving. Maria Alexander-Bridges, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard--and a black woman--had graduated from the same Detroit high school as Buggs. "Suddenly, I could envision myself doing what she was doing," says Buggs, who is now in her third year at Harvard. "I needed to see someone do it to convince me I could do it, too." Last year, Buggs had a chance to collaborate with Alexander-Bridges and cement their relationship--thanks to a $5,000 fellowship she received from the New York-based Commonwealth Fund. "The support Maria gives me is awesome," says Buggs, 24, who worked with Alexander-Bridges this past summer, investigating how insulin regulates cell function. "She's shown me how to survive in this profession, and she's been a real inspiration. This research project helped solidify my career goals and gave me a real feel about what it's like to be a physician-scientist." Launched in 1984, the Commonwealth Fund's Fellowship Program in Academic Medicine for Minority Students is designed to recruit talented students like Buggs into biomedical research by offering them the opportunity to do hands-on lab work. Fellowship recipients work under the close supervision of leading scientists at their institution, who act as their mentors. The Commonwealth Fund, a national philanthropy founded in 1918, is the fourth oldest and 50th largest foundation in the United States. In a typical year, it awards between $10 million and $12 million in grants. The fund supports a broad range of projects, concentrating principally on the health field and education, including a program that examines the clinical problems of the elderly, and one focusing on policy changes to benefit children and senior citizens. Buggs's enthusiasm for the fund's minority medical student program is echoed by other fellowship recipients. According to an independent survey conducted by the research organization Louis Harris and Associates Inc. in 1988, 88 percent of the 156 fellowship recipients polled reported that they plan to pursue careers in teaching and research. Of these, 90 percent said the program either convinced them or reinforced their resolve to enter academia. Commonwealth Fund officials say they hope that the entrance of these young people into the academic research arena will help increase the percentage of minorities on medical school faculties. In 1988, there were only 800 blacks, 336 Puerto Ricans, 110 Mexican Americans, and 35 Native Americans among the more than 40,000 faculty members at U.S. medical schools, according to statistics compiled by the Association of American Medical Colleges, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Most of these minority faculty teach at schools that primarily serve black or Puerto Rican students, the association found. This paucity of minority faculty at predominantly white medical schools perpetuates the problem, say many concerned about the state of minority education in the 1990s. Promising minority students have few, if any, role models. And without a faculty member who is willing to make a conscious effort to include them in the academic network, they tend to get swallowed up by the system. An often overlooked outgrowth of this situation, according to David E. Rogers, professor of medicine at Cornell University Medical College, is that biomedical research delving into medical problems that disproportionately impact minority populations isn't vigorously pursued. Officials at the Commonwealth Fund hope that in some small way, the mentoring program will help change this picture. "This program was started because of the absolutely critical need for scientifically oriented minority faculty to heighten our sensitivity to health problems that are more prominent in the minority community," says Rogers, chairman of the fellowship program. "At the same time, this program shows young people of color that they can indeed make it in the academic world, and links them with good mentors who will inspire them and show them a way of life that is satisfying to them." Each year since the program's inception, the Commonwealth Fund has selected 20 mentor-student pairs for the $5,000 grants. This past year, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., the pharmaceutical company based in New York, joined forces with the Commonwealth Fund, donating a total of $125,000 to sponsor 25 fellows in 1990. Bristol-Myers Squibb's support enabled the fund to put more of its own money toward other projects: This year the fund supported five fellowships, bringing the total number of awards to 30. "The monetary grant gives students, who are already burdened by medical school costs, the freedom to do research," says Maritza Myers, vice president of programs at National Medical Fellowships Inc. (NMF), which administers the Commonwealth Fund program. NMF was founded in 1946 to increase the number of minority physicians through scholarships and special programs. This nonprofit organization, which itself has awarded more than $28 million to 19,000 minority medical students, has been affiliated with the Commonwealth Fund in various capacities since 1949. When officials at the Commonwealth Fund decided to launch an outreach program for minority medical students, they approached NMF. Based upon its experience with minority medical students, NMF administrators knew there was a need for a research-oriented mentoring program. "Many students expressed an interest in areas of medicine other than primary care, but the options available to them were few," says Myers. "So this seemed like an excellent way to help direct their careers." NMF provides information to students who apply for the Commonwealth Fund's academic medicine program, and receives and screens applications. The final selection is made by a blue-ribbon panel of about a dozen senior physicians, scientists, and educators, who meet once a year to review the application materials. "It takes each of us about 48 hours to go through the applications," says committee chairman Rogers. "Then we spend a day going through the agonizing process of trying to determine who has the potential of using this grant most effectively." The growing popularity of this program is reflected by the dramatic increase in applicants. In 1990, 73 students applied from 46 medical schools across the country, up from 36 students, representing 26 schools, in 1989. This year, in fact, "the caliber of applicants was so exceptional that 52 of the candidates were judged highly qualified," says Marilyn L. Gruber, director of corporate contributions for Bristol-Myers Squibb. "The only way we could pick the 30 fellows was by drawing straws." Awardees attend a varied group of institutions from across the country, including Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.; Duke University; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of New Mexico; the University of South Florida; and Southern Illinois University. Students in their third year of medical school are eligible for the program, although some exceptions are made for special circumstances. Applicants must be nominated for this fellowship by their medical school's dean, who is also responsible for recruiting a mentor from the faculty. Perhaps not surprisingly, the vast majority of the mentors in the program are white males; the absence of minority mentors is just one more indicator of the dearth of minority medical school faculty members. Up to $2,000 of the $5,000 grant is earmarked for the mentor, to offset expenses during the research period; the remainder is given to the fellow. The institutions provide laboratory space, but aren't required to make any financial commitment. Typically, students conduct an original research project over an eight-to-12-week period during the summer, after which they present their findings at an annual symposium sponsored by the program. These experiences, the program's supporters say, coupled with the coaching and guidance of a senior scientist, are absolutely essential for a young person planning to establish a career in academic medicine. "There is an art to succeeding in science," explains Alexander-Bridges, who plans to work with another Commonwealth fellow next year. "It's important to have someone who can show you where to put your efforts, and teach you how to present your papers well. I don't think you can succeed in academia without a mentor. I had one, and now I want give something back by continuing that process." Applications for the Commonwealth Fund's Fellowship Program in Academic Medicine are due December 1. For more information, contact Maritza Myers, The Commonwealth Fund Medical Fellowship Program, National Medical Fellowships Inc., 254 W. 31st St., New York, N.Y. 10001; (212) 714-0933. Linda Marsa is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.

New York Fund Encourages Minorities To Pursue Careers In Medical Research

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