INFO FOR...
news & announcements...
Search...
The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs was established as one of the four areas of focus at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center: to increase participation of underserved students in health careers. As the world gets smaller and more students get the opportunity to go to college, the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs will strive to meet the needs of every student by playing a major role in creating the right path and implementing the right amount of diversity programs to fit the needs of students from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds. Preparing and encouraging these students to seek careers in medicine and other health careers in West Texas will help bridge the health professional shortage and increase cultural competence. Therefore, building a strong K-12 pipeline of disadvantaged students interested in health careers and preparing them for the rigors of higher education will make outreach programs imperative. The efforts of the Health Sciences Center are consistent with the state’s initiative to ‘close the gap,’ and the long-term goal of a student body that mirrors the demographics of West Texas. Medical literature reports that patients tend to choose and have a better relationship with physicians of their same culture. It is not only the factor of communicating in one’s mother tongue, but also the possibility that both doctor and patient may share similar customs and cultural values that may play an intangible role in the healing process.