Young Black men interested in a career in medicine sought for inaugural cohort of new mentorship program

ABOVE PHOTO: Young men training for a career in medicine in the Hinkson Holloway Mentorship Program. (Photo: College of Physicians of Philadelphia)

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia recently announced the opening of its application process for its new Hinkson Holloway Mentorship Program. The program is designed to nurture, inspire, and prepare Black men in local colleges who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine. 

There are no costs associated with this program, and the participants will receive:

•  A stipend

•  Exclusive networking opportunities with diverse professionals and students

•  Training and learning experiences in healthcare, politics, humanities, arts, and social sciences

•  Mentoring by Black healthcare professionals

•  Monthly in-person activities at The College and Penn throughout the 2023-24 school year

“While diversity in America’s medical field is improving, Black men are still underrepresented among physicians and other medical professionals,” said Jacqui Bowman, director of the Center for Education at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. “In launching the Hinkson Holloway Mentorship Program, we are working to change that in the Philadelphia region and beyond.”

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is an organization for medical professionals that was founded in 1787 and is the home of the Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library. The College’s Center for Education currently offers several student programs, including the Wohlreich Junior Fellows Program, Girls One Diaspora Club, Out4STEM, and a STEM Internship.

The program is named for the first two Black Fellows of the College, Dr. DeHaven Hinkson and Dr. Edward E. Holloway, admitted on October 7, 1952. Both were prominent Philadelphia physicians who made substantial contributions to health and medicine while breaking through racial barriers.

Hinkson Holloway Mentorship Program goals:

Give participants the confidence to navigate professional and academic careers in healthcare

Encourage participants to study topics that will lead them to healthcare professions

Inspire participants to be leaders in their communities and continue to push fellow Black men into healthcare and STEM.

Dr. Steven Handler, a Fellow of The College, with his wife Cynthia Solot, has generously provided the funding for this inaugural program. Handler and Solot, both longtime staff members of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, are dedicated supporters of the College’s educational offerings.

“When patients are treated by people who look like them, research has shown that they have better health outcomes,” Handler said. “It’s up to us to promote the diversity in medicine that helps patients become more comfortable with their physicians. That’s why we’re committed to helping more Black men get into medical school through the Hinkson Holloway Mentorship Program.”

The program has created in partnership with Dr. Horace DeLisser, a trustee of the College and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.

“I’m particularly excited for the young men who will benefit from this program and the meaningful opportunities for mentoring that the Hinkson Holloway Mentorship Program will provide our medical students,” DeLisser said.

Ideal candidates for this cohort will be in their first year of college in a Philadelphia area university in Fall 2023. The deadline for applications is February 28, 2023.

 For more information, visit: https://collegeofphysicians.org/programs/hinkson-holloway-mentorship-program.