GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine ranks among the top U.S. medical schools when it comes to social mission, defined as producing doctors who are minorities, practice primary care or work in underserved areas, according to a new national study.
Of the 141 medical schools in the Annals of Internal Medicine study, the College of Human Medicine ranked 6th overall on social mission and 7th for underrepresented minorities in its student population.
“Our community-focused college is based on a social mission,” said Marsha D. Rappley, dean of the college. “We respond to the needs of the medically underserved, whether it is training primary care doctors, providing students clinical experience with underserved populations or offering medical school admission opportunities to students who wish to practice in underserved areas of medicine.”
The study – by researchers from George Washington University, the Children's National Medical Center and Robert Graham Center, all in Washington, D.C. – can be found here.
While MSU ranked high in the study, the study’s authors concluded U.S. medical schools vary substantially in their contribution to the social mission of medical education. Traditional assessments of medical schools often value research funding, student entrance test scores and subjective assessments over educational output, particularly regarding the number of graduates who enter primary care, practice in underserved areas and are underrepresented minorities.
“This is the first published journal study that measures the contributions made by community-focused medical schools like MSU,” Rappley said. “It is an honor and a privilege to be a social mission leader among U.S. medical schools.”
For more information on MSU’s College of Human Medicine, go here.
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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.