UNM's School of Medicine is receiving national recognition for its work to boost Latino enrollment in higher education achievement, in addition to shedding light on the lack of physicians in New Mexico, according to a University statement.
Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit organization created to advance Latino student success in higher education, nominated UNM’s Combined BA/MD program as a finalist for its annual Examples of Excelencia award.
The award honors “evidence-based programs that effectively boost Latino enrollment, performance and graduation,” according to the release. The winners will be announced in Washington, D.C. this week.
“UNM’s Combined BA/MD Degree Program is a prime example of the Health Sciences Center’s commitment to educational achievement for a diverse group of students,” said Valerie Romero-Leggott, vice chancellor for diversity at the UNM Health Sciences Center, in the statement. “We are honored to be considered for this prestigious award.”
The BA/MD program is constructed to help address the physician shortage in New Mexico by assembling a class of diverse students who are committed to serving rural and underserved New Mexico communities, Romero-Leggott said in the statement. Students from across the state enter the program as freshmen, and after successfully completing a specialized curriculum in the UNM College of Arts and Sciences, they earn a reserved seat in UNM’s medical school.
Selected programs from this year's finalists will be published in the 2015 edition of “What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education.”
