AAHC Features Innovative Programs to Achieve Health Equity

Chief Academic Officers Detail Programs that Address Health Workforce Diversity

Washington, DC, May 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC) is pleased to announce the release of a series of case studies providing overviews of how academic health centers are engaging in innovative programs to address racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare and the healthcare workforce.

“The Pipelines to Pathways Initiative, led by the AAHC Chief Academic Officers Executive Leadership Group in partnership with the AAHC Sullivan Alliance, showcases programs developed by academic health centers to inspire and support learners from underserved populations to pursue successful and rewarding careers in the health professions and biomedical sciences,” said AAHC President and CEO, Dr. Steven L. Kanter.

Louis W. Sullivan, MD, president emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and chair of the AAHC Sullivan Alliance Advisory Committee, added, “AAHC and its members are dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Pursuing innovative approaches to improve diversity in the health workforce and address healthcare disparities in our nation’s population is central to the academic health center mission.”

Academic health centers are deeply imbedded in their communities. They provide tertiary and quaternary healthcare services, specialize in the most complex and difficult diagnoses and treatments, serve as safety-net providers, stimulate the economy, and educate the next generation of health professionals. Their research leads to advances in the understanding and treatment of diseases.

A key feature of the Pipelines to Pathways Initiative is to discover lessons learned and catalogue success factors for pathway programs. Each case study in the Connecting Pipelines to Pathways for Health Equity series details a specific challenge, the institution’s response, key takeaways, and outcomes.

“By offering aspiring learners a wider range of health professions education options through pathway programs, it is possible to illustrate the breadth of opportunities in healthcare provider and discovery fields. Such an approach would enable the continuing development of STEMM education and help plug the leaky pipelines that can lead to learner disappointment and too much lost talent,” said Valerie Williams, PhD, MPA, vice provost for academic affairs and faculty development at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, AAHC Chief Academic Officers committee chair, and member of the AAHC Sullivan Alliance Advisory Committee.

AAHC is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing health and well-being through values-based leadership of academic health centers.

CONTACT: Christine Smith Association of Academic Health Centers 202-265-9600 csmith@aahcdc.org