Approximately 12% of the population in the United States identifies as Black or African-American. Out of this 12%, how many are physicians?

Recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges states that “5.7% of physicians in the United States identify as Black or African American.” Over the recent years, the number of Black physicians has been slowly increasing, but not at a pace where it is enough. The number of Black physicians in different areas of medicine is not enough due to the fact that the Black/ African-American population has been increasing.

The number of Black physicians is not growing as wanted for various reasons. Michael Dill from the Association of American Medical Colleges claims, “One reason why the percentage of U.S. doctors who are Black remains far below that of the U.S. population that is Black can be traced to how Black people have been “historically excluded from medicine” and the “institutional and systemic racism in our society.” There are many who would like to pursue a career in medicine but will not be able to due to the cost of higher education. “Across higher education, nearly 70% of Black students who drop out cite debt as a factor — and that was before the pandemic struck...” With the majority of these students dropping out because they cannot afford to continue their education, the issue of not having enough physicians of color has risen. The top historically Black medicine schools are working on solutions to try to avoid this rising issue. They have come up with payment plans to best fit people’s needs. It should also be noted that more aid is needed for these schools. Many HBCUs have started providing different opportunities for their undergraduate students who want to pursue the medical field, such as internships, mentorships, and tuition assistance.

The need for physicians goes way beyond the minority population’s growth. So why is there such a big push to get more people of color to practice medicine?

Studies have shown that minorities are more likely to catch a variety of different illnesses and sicknesses. As a result of this, the fatality rate is high. Therefore, minorities are more prone to these different illnesses, resulting in needing more medical attention and regular examinations. However, regular visits do not necessarily always happen.

Why is that?

There are many factors that go into minorities not being able to have medical examinations regularly. For many, trust, engagement with the physician, and cultural awareness are factors that are blocking regular medical attention. Overall, Black people have better medical outcomes when they are treated by people who look like them. Recent studies on Black newborns have proven that there are higher survival rates if Black doctors treat them. Picheta writes, “Black newborn babies in the United States are more likely to survive childbirth if they are cared for by Black doctors, but three times more likely than White Babies to die when looked after by White doctors, a study has found.”

Many of these Black doctors practice in communities that lack quality care. The benefit of their practicing in these areas is that it helps the economic aspect as well as tying health and wealth together. A collaboration piece from CNN states, “If we had more Black doctors, we would save more Black lives — and also make progress in closing the racial wealth gap.”

We need the push for more Black doctors to increase the number of Blacks who visit the doctor regularly. The need for more colored doctors will increase the wellness of Black lives in many ways.