FSU ranks in the top ten nationwide for enrolling both black and Hispanic medical students. No other school can say that.
People at the College of Medicine know that their mission is to produce patient-centered primary-care physicians for Florida’s underserved communities. They know that the doctors most likely to practice in those communities are the ones who grew up there. So, as early as middle school, they start working with promising young students in the Panhandle and elsewhere and asking them: “Have you considered a career in health care? Because we can help.”
For years, they stay in touch with those students. They tutor them in science and math. They show them how to study. They teach them how to learn. They encourage them to become, in some cases, the first person in their family to attend college. They explain what it takes to apply to med school. They even demonstrate what med school is like.
If you read the bios of FSU’s med students, you’ll see that an increasing number of them got into the university, and into the College of Medicine, with the assistance of programs such as SSTRIDE (Science Students Together Reaching Instructional Diversity & Excellence), Undergraduate SSTRIDE and MAPS (Minority Association of Premedical Students).
Results? Though the College of Medicine has graduated only 14 classes so far, it has produced 130 black and 150 Hispanic physicians.
Help fund the SSTRIDE Scholarship/Incentive Reward Program. Help provide scholarships for young Florida students who otherwise won’t have the financial means for med school. Help make field trips and other enrichment opportunities possible for these students in seven Florida counties. Help encourage them on the challenging road through high school, into college and beyond.
Testimonial:
‘A SPECIAL PLACE’
“I immersed myself in all that SSTRIDE had to offer. From becoming the vice president of its undergraduate organization, to taking part in its numerous outreach opportunities, I have truly become a part of the SSTRIDE family. The benefit of having an emotional and structural support system during my transition from nontraditional undergraduate to nontraditional medical student is indescribable.”
—Jimmy Moss, M.D. When he was young, his family was sometimes homeless. He persevered. Now this former SSTRIDE mentor, alumnus of the College of Medicine Class of 2010, is pursuing fellowship training in anesthesia critical care at Harvard University.
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