Minorities in Health Professions

Overview

New Jersey’s racial and ethnic minority populations are growing, and so too is the state’s need for a diverse health professional workforce.

Minority doctors, nurses and public health workers can play a vital role in improving the health of minority communities. 

In the clinical setting, studies have shown that patients participate more in their own health care when seeing a provider of the same race.  Studies have also shown that providers from racial and ethnic communities are more sensitive to the cultural, social and linguistic issues that can impact the patient’s health.

Minority public health professionals can be effective advocates, providing strong leadership on the topic of health disparities at the policy level, in developing and managing programs, and in health education and outreach.

Whether in the clinic or in public health, these professionals develop the trust of the people they serve because of shared culture, mutual understanding and respect.

Special training and research programs, internships, fellowships and other professional opportunities can be effective methods of recruiting and developing a more diverse health workforce.

DHSS Initiative

Exposing Diverse Students to Oral Health Professions [pdf 2mb]
Dental Tool Kit

The Office of Minority and Multicultural Health is pleased to provide Career Exploration: Exposing Diverse Students to Oral Health Professions, a tool kit designed to help anyone who works with students to encourage them to pursue careers in oral health. With this tool kit, we hope to specifically inspire underrepresented minority students who may not have role models in dentistry who resemble themselves to realize that they too can become dentists, dental hygienists or dental assistants.

The purpose of this tool kit resource is to attract qualified high school students into learning more about careers in the oral health profession. This tool kit contains information that will help you arrange to have an oral health professional visit your school, provide facts about oral health careers, and outline various resources you can discuss with your students and their parents to get them on the path to dentistry.

Resources

For a complimentary copy of the African American Physician Directory Resource Guide for New Jersey, New York City & Philadelphia, please visit Community United Providers.

Below are links to educational and professional resources on the web.

Professional Networks

Latino Caucus of the American Public Health Association

Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the American Public Health Association

The National Association of Hispanic Nurses

The National Medical Association

The National Hispanic Medical Association

Training/Fellowship Opportunities

Minority Health Professional Training Programs

CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Training Opportunities

CDC Public Health Training Opportunities

Minority Health Professions Foundation

Commonwealth Fund Harvard University Fellowship (CFHUF) in
Minority Health Policy
Supported by the Commonwealth Fund, administered by the Minority Faculty Development Program at Harvard Medical School, this fellowship is designed to prepare minority physicians, for leadership roles in formulating and implementing public health policy and practice on a national, state and community level.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Minority Health Program

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