Jon L. Christensen: “my colleague just pointed out one of the great challenges that face us for this century, educating more of our daughters…”

“my colleague just pointed out one of the great challenges that face us for this century, educating more of our daughters and sons and bringing them into the health professions. I guess I would have to start back in the schools that they attend. As my colleague knows, in many of the inner cities and in many of our rural areas schools are in disrepair, they are unsafe, they are ill-equipped, and they are short on staff, as well. So the preparation that our children receive as they go through elementary and secondary school leaves a lot to be desired, and it starts at that level. Of course, we are now faced with propositions that have closed the door of medical schools to many African Americans and other students of color who desire to enter the medical profession, and that is taking a serious total on the numbers as we were beginning to strive to make some headway there. And really it is more even than just the educating of our young people into the field of medicine. Because there is an increasing body of knowledge now that demonstrates that when patients are under the care of a physician or a health provider of the same or similar racial, ethnic, or cultural background that a better doctor-patient relationship is established and out of that better relationship come better patient outcomes and, therefore, better health.”