Underrepresented in Medicine Campaign

The STFM Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) Initiative, supported by the STFM Foundation, is working to:

• Increase the percentage of URM family medicine faculty, and
• Increase the number of solutions-focused, adaptable URM leaders within and across our healthcare system

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) definition of underrepresented in medicine is:

"Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population."¹

A diverse workforce of family medicine physicians and faculty is required to support the future of health care and the needs of a diverse patient population. URM faculty members collectively make up only 9.4% of academic medicine while representing almost 33% of the national population.^2,3 In recognition of this, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) has committed to developing strategies and providing resources to increase the number of underrepresented in medicine (URM) family medicine educators. 

Oversight Committee & Work Groups

An interprofessional URM Oversight Committee, chaired by Edgar Figueroa, MD, MPH, has convened to guide the progress of the Underrepresented in Medicine Initiative work. Four Work Groups are leading the development of strategies and measures for their Focus Area, while the entire Oversight Committee is monitoring the progress of the work and communicating with STFM members and the STFM Foundation about the work being done.

The STFM Foundation launched a year-long blog series. In this series, The Path We Took, URM members share the path they took to become faculty and leaders in family medicine. 

• One African American Woman’s Leadership Journey—Judy Washington, MD, shares how STFM opportunities shaped her career.

• One of Those Kids in That Class Is Me and They Deserve a Chance—Renee Crichlow, MD, shares her story so eloquently and reminds us that we all have a responsibility in identifying SDOH and creating the next generation of doctors.

• Mi Gente—Edgar Figueroa, MD, MPH, shares how his STFM membership has allowed him to stay connected.
  
  
• STFM Is My Most Precious Membership—Evelyn Figueroa, MD, shares that STFM gave me the tools to advocate and integrate concepts related to bias in healthcare such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, and privilege into my everyday teaching and patient care.

Sonja Shipley, MD is the  editor for the URM and Health Equity Blogs. Please consider sharing your story to inspire new STFM URM leaders to take advantage of what we all know to be career changing opportunities. You can send your story to Sonya at sshipley@umc.edu