Illinois Medicine

chicago By Anne Ford Hispanic Center of Excellence Celebrates 20 Years But an even more exciting milestone is just around the corner T anniversary last fall. But for Jorge Girotti, PhD, assistant professor in the department of medical education and the college's director of admissions, the real milestone will arrive in the spring of 2013—by which time the college will have graduated more than 1,000 Hispanic physicians. "Very few schools in the mainland United States can say that," says Girotti, who has directed the center since founding it in 1991. he College of Medicine's Hispanic Center of Excellence in Medicine celebrated its 20th When that day arrives, it will be due in enormous part to the center's efforts. For the last two decades, Girotti and his staff have nurtured a pipeline of Hispanic medi- cal school applicants through programs such as a summer research experience for undergraduates that focuses on health disparities in minority communities. In addition, the center has worked to recruit Hispanic faculty and to enrich the education of current Hispanic medical school students, in part by sponsoring programs that allow these students to work on research projects with faculty members. It's all been in the name of improving the medical care of Hispanics in Illinois, a demographic group that accounted for nearly all state population growth between 2000 and 2010. "The community continues to grow, in some areas at an amazing pace," Girotti says. "And we're not keeping up in terms of the number of Hispanic physicians." The Hispanic community, he says, needs physicians who not only have strong Spanish-language skills, but who also are attuned to the community's cultural, socio- economic and health issues: "If we can diversify the physician ranks with people who have a strong sense of culture and language, we hope that the consequence of that will be patients that get better quality of care." Just a few years ago, the center's existence appeared to be in danger. In 2005- 2006, Congress eliminated grants for it and similar programs nationwide. "We were told, 'Sorry, there's no more money,'" Girotti recalls. "Some of our counterparts around the country had to fold." Fortunately, with the help of the Legislative Latino Caucus in the Illinois General Assembly, the center was able to obtain state funding and continue its mission. As of 2009, one facet of that mission is outreach to Hispanic high school students who are considering careers in medicine. "In order to develop a competitive pool that has a strong foundation in the sciences and mathematics, ideally you have to start working early," Girotti says. That outreach includes a summer health science enrich- ment program as well as the Medicina Academy, a four-year program for Chicago high- school students who aspire to become doctors. The center's success, Girotti says, would not have been possible without the college's long-standing commitment to diversity. "We knew from early on that we had a good environment here to become a true center of excellence—the kind of place that others would want to model," he says. "That continues to be a work in progress." HCOE scholarship donors (left to right) Fernando Grillo and Sonia Sanchez met with center Director Jorge Girotti, PhD, and Dean Azar at the reunion last fall. The Hispanic Center of Excellence's pipeline programs The Hispanic Center of Excellence has several pipeline programs that help to prep students for the rigors of college and medical school: Medicina Academy Apprentice Program is a four-year pre-medical program conducted in partnership with five selected Chicago high schools that provides training and hands-on experiences to high school students aspiring to become physicians. Latino Health Sciences Enrichment Program is a six-week summer enrichment program that provides ACT preparation, college awareness and personal development for high school students. Medicina Scholars is a three-year program designed to introduce Latino scholars to the medical profession by giving undergraduate students a strong basis to succeed and become competitive medical school applicants. Summer Undergraduate Health Disparities Research Program is a 10-week summer program that provides experience in health disparities research to third- and fourth-year undergraduates. Summer Medical Student Research Program is a 10-week summer program designed to introduce Latino students at the College of Medicine at Chicago to the field of research. The fellowship provides basic skill sets to develop a hypothesis, understand preliminary data and findings, and appreciate how the outcomes of research apply to the treatment of patients. Academia de Padres is a program for parents of students participating in our high school initiatives. Through monthly seminars, parents are exposed to the higher education system and given the tools to best support their children in pursuing medical careers. ILLINOIS MEDICINE | 35

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