Increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of the health-care workforce has been identified as a key factor to addressing health disparities and ensuring the adequate provision of culturally competent care to our nation’s growing minority communities.

High school students competitively selected from throughout the state, including Arizona’s most remote and underserved communities, are exploring health-care careers and education opportunities, conducting research, and taking college-level courses in the six-week summer program at the Arizona Health Sciences Center.

To address the critical lack of diversity in the health-care workforce in Arizona and the nation, the Arizona Health Sciences Center, with programs in Tucson and Phoenix, is working to recruit, educate and train tomorrow’s health-care leaders.

The conference is free and open to the public and will feature international cultural wisdom authority, Roberto Dansie, PhD, who will share insights on cultural competency, rural health and interprofessional education and practice.

With the strategic initiative to advance the education, training, recruitment and employment of a diverse faculty, staff and student body that is reflective of the communities it serves, the Arizona Health Sciences Center appoints Dr. Francisco Moreno assistant vice president for diversity and inclusion.

The $1.25 million grant will reduce health disparities through impactful research and the development of the next generation of physician-scientists through the Arizona Pride-25 Advanced Health Disparities Training Program in Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Conditions.

P-MAP illustrates the college’s strong emphasis on increasing the diversity of its students and addressing the shortage of physicians from under-represented minority groups, particularly Native Americans.

The 10-week health-care focused internship program provides UA graduate and undergraduate students with varying experience in research and knowledge of border community health, with valuable insight and hands-on research training from UA border experts.

To help create awareness and increase opportunities in global learning and research at the University of Arizona, students and faculty from across campus have joined to organize and host the conference.

The Pre-Medical Admissions Pathway Program, known as P-MAP, is designed to help students who have experienced unique or greater-than-average challenges in preparing to become competitive medical school applicants. Upon successful completion of the year-long P-MAP program, students will be admitted to the UA College of Medicine - Tucson