What defines a minority and/or disadvantaged youth?
African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans are the most severely underrepresented minorities in health professions. Disadvantaged youth are defined as those living in poverty (indexed by participation in the federal free and reduced-price lunch program), and those who are members of groups that have been historically discriminated against in U.S. society (African Americans, Hispanics, and immigrants groups for whom English is not their native language). While African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos are among the fastest growing segments of the population, they are also the most severely underrepresented minorities in health professions. Today, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans together make up more than 25 percent of the U.S. population; however, only nine percent of the nation’s nurses, six percent of its physicians, and five percent of dentists come from these groups. Similar differences show up in the faculties of health professional schools.
