Paying the price of the lack of diversity in US healthcare

by Daryl Ilbury

At first glance, there is a glaring lack of diversity in the United States’ healthcare workforce. Look deeper, and the dilemma takes on a far more disheartening form. Despite continuous efforts spanning over four decades, there seems to be little shift towards representative parity between the healthcare workforce and the nation it must serve. If anything, things are getting worse. This lack of parity is a significant bulwark to effective healthcare. Professor Christina Goode of the Western University of Health Sciences in California, USA, has identified contributing factors to this dilemma. It is a highly complex state of affairs, and making the necessary shift will require substantial changes beyond that to the country’s education system.

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Building a community of learning and a legacy of mentoring

by Daryl Ilbury

To the uninitiated, life within the hallowed halls of academia can seem cultured and untroublesome; the only hard work is being allowed in. Such a perception is only partially accurate: the path to becoming an academic is indeed arduous. Some may argue this is to keep out all but the academically committed, but it can be a perceptual bulwark for students who believe – perhaps because they have been told – that they are not worthy. Changing those perceptions requires more than a kind word and a guiding hand. It demands significant intellectual and emotional involvement by committed educators with a proper understanding of the value of mentoring. One senior academic within education has helped build a legacy of mentoring by drawing on her own troubled path to those hallowed halls.

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Unlocking opportunity: The importance of student–faculty interactions in promoting Black students’ academic identity

by Daryl Ilbury

On 29th June this year, the United States Supreme Court sent a shockwave through higher education when it outlawed race-conscious admissions. The practice, which gained momentum after the civil rights era of the 1960s and 1970s, encouraged greater diversity at historically and/or predominantly White institutions (H/ PWIs). As a result of the judgement, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are expecting an influx of new applicants. HBCUs punch above their weight in terms of the output of Black graduates and offer a more inclusive environment. So, could the Supreme Court judgement trigger a significant shift in Black student enrolment, and what can H/PWIs do to attract more Black students?

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