UC Davis

ABSTRACT The 13th Annual Augustus White Symposium was held at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) on October 11, 2017. The 2017 symposium was dedicated to an important yet often overlooked topic in medicine: “African American Males Entering the Medical Field: Disparity, Diminishing, Distressing.” There has been a troubling decline in the representation of African-American men in medicine over the past 36 years. Although this problem is complex and multifactorial, there is no better time for change than now. Increasing diversity and inclusion in the medical community is essential to the training of aspiring physicians and to the care of a growing diverse patient population. This article highlights the significance of this problem while offering potential solutions to alter its course.