Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity at the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program

Background and Objectives: Among the oldest in nation, University of Utah Physician Assistant Program (UPAP) serves state surrounding areas is a division Department Family Preventive Medicine. Recognizing need to produce health care providers from diverse racial ethnic backgrounds, UPAP instituted structural changes improve student compositional diversity. This paper presentation evaluation made determine their relationship with diversity, ultimate practice setting, national rankings. Methods: changed diversity messaging, curriculum, efforts admissions, recruitment, retention representation Black, Latinx, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students, as well those educationally economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Results: tripled number underrepresented minority matriculated students over course five admitted classes, while simultaneously increasing proportion or maintains both high boards pass rate top rankings, (number two ranking public physician assistant program four overall United States). Conclusions: The experience demonstrates that intentional are associated improvement racial/ethnic Other medical school graduate programs, specifically doctor (MD), health, basic science programs can use this model