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Introduction

The number of Black students in science, engineering, and medicine in the United States has remained disproportionately low over the past several decades. A number of reasons have been identified as contributing to these low numbers, including those related to finances. Financial considerations range from the most immediate—the ability of students to pay for their education and associated costs—to more structural concerns, such as inequities that created and have perpetuated a wealth gap between races and ethnic groups.

The Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has looked at a range of barriers and solutions related to increasing the nation’s number of Black scientists, engineers, and physicians. Previous workshops have been held on such topics as the impact of racism bias (NASEM, 2020), COVID-19 (NASEM, 2021), educational pathways (NASEM, 2022a), and mentoring and advising (NASEM, 2022b). On April 19 and 20, 2021, the Roundtable organized a virtual public workshop to examine financial barriers for Black students in science, engineering, and medicine (SEM), explore existing educational programs to support Black students in SEM, and engage stakeholders in conversations about partnerships and policies that span academia, industry, and philanthropy. With a focus on the data and information available from medical education, presenters throughout the workshop discussed the Black-white wealth gap, opportunities to eliminate debt burden, and specific interventions intended

to change the diversity of the workforce. While rich discussions were held during the 2-day workshop, several topics remain for the Roundtable to explore further.

OPENING REMARKS

Welcome from the National Academies Leadership

Victor Dzau, M.D. (Duke University and president of the National Academy of Medicine) represented the National Academies leadership to welcome workshop participants. He thanked the Roundtable for its leadership in exploring and addressing the barriers and opportunities encountered by Black students in pursuing careers in science, engineering, and medicine. He also expressed strong support and commitment on the part of the National Academies for the Roundtable because the low participation rate of African American men and women in SEM threatens the well-being of society and hampers health for the entire population.

Background on the Roundtable

Roundtable chair Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Connecticut) thanked Dr. Dzau and the National Academies staff for their support of the Roundtable.

To provide a brief background of the Roundtable, Dr. Laurencin explained it grew out of concern about the lack of Black men entering medicine over the course of several years; some schools reported no Black men in their entering classes. A 2017 workshop resulted in the report An American Crisis: The Growing Absence of Black Men in Medicine and Science (NASEM, 2018). This publication generated significant attention, including by members of the Congressional Black Caucus, about the issues underlying this dearth of representation. In 2019, the Roundtable was formed, as Dr. Laurencin explained, “to understand issues impacting Black men and Black women, and to generate ideas for solutions, especially solutions utilizing the strengths in having Black men and Black women in science, engineering, and medicine.”

At its December 2019 inaugural meeting, the Roundtable decided to focus on data gathering and ideas generation at each subsequent meeting. Action groups were formed around Racism and Bias, Public Engagement, Mentorship and Advising, Psychological Factors, PreK to Graduate Edu-

cation, and Financing. Each group has held or is planning a workshop, beginning with the workshop on the impact of racism and bias in pursuing careers in science, engineering, and medicine referred to above (NASEM, 2020).¹

The Public Engagement and Financing action groups collaborated to organize the current workshop, Dr. Laurencin explained. Its purpose is to lead to a better understanding of the financial barriers facing Black students, make a business case related to addressing these barriers, discuss how public and private entities can work together to facilitate students’ entry and retention, and reduce overall costs or provide financial support (see Box 1-1 for the workshop Statement of Task).

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¹ For more background on the Roundtable, see https://www.nationalacademies.org/ourwork/roundtable-on-black-men-and-black-women-in-science-engineering-and-medicine.

Context of the Workshop

Speaking on behalf of the two Roundtable action groups, planning committee co-chair George Q. Daley, M.D., Ph.D. (Harvard Medical School), stated, “The goal for us is to understand the root causes [of financial barriers] but also fundamentally lay a foundation for public engagement and activism by policy makers so as they do not just engage in these issues but also resolve them.” He stressed,

Co-chair Louis Sullivan, M.D. (Sullivan Alliance), added his appreciation to the National Academies for supporting the workshop and to colleagues for working to change the status quo.

ORGANIZATION OF THIS PROCEEDINGS

The remainder of this publication is organized to follow the agenda of the workshop (see Appendix A). Chapter 2 highlights the current situation, with an emphasis on data behind disparate opportunities between Black and white children compiled and analyzed by Opportunity Insights at Harvard University. Chapter 3 reports on previous and current programs, with a focus on those in the health professions and within the federal government. Chapter 4 suggests opportunities envisioned by leaders in physics, medical education, and the private sector. Chapters 5 and 6 report on innovative programs in the philanthropic sector and within academic institutions. Chapter 7 summarizes a brief presentation by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) and a “fireside chat” between planning committee co-chair Gilda Barabino, Ph.D. (Olin College of Engineering), and Michelle McMurray-Heath, M.D., Ph.D. (Biotechnology Innovation Organization). The workshop agenda and biographical sketches of the speakers can be found in Appendixes A and B, respectively.

In accordance with the policies of the National Academies, workshop participants did not attempt to establish any conclusions or recommendations about needs and future directions, focusing instead on issues discussed by the speakers and workshop participants. In addition, the planning

committee’s role was limited to planning the workshop. This proceedings was prepared by rapporteurs as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop.

REFERENCES

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