As an outgrowth of this commitment, the Urban Health Program was formally established in 1978. Recent reports addressing the training of physicians have emphasized an oversupply of physicians that may glut the market in the 1990s. Yet, statistics show that there will not be a glut of minority physicians in the foreseeable future.
Many communities still lack adequate health care services.
Blacks, Latinos, and American Indians are disproportionally affected by diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, hypertension, and diabetes. Infant mortality in these communities is still far greater than in the general population. Since 1979, the program has assisted more than fourteen hundred minority students in gaining admission to the College of Medicine. The Urban Health Program, through its support of more than nine hundred enrolled medical students, has contributed to the graduation of more minority physicians than any other U.S. medical school, except Howard and Meharry. The program's long-term goal is to train a cadre of competent, caring minority physicians dedicated to improving the availability and quality of health care services where most needed.