Doctors Back To School

AMA Doctors Back to School program inspires new generation of physicians.

Mitra Kalelkar, MD, tells about her work in forensic medicine.

If you are like many physicians, you are practicing medicine today because you knew someone who inspired you to follow that path.

The AMA Minority Affairs Consortium (MAC) is calling on all minority physicians to fill a similar role for children in their communities by taking part in Doctors Back to School (DBTS).

Doctors Back to School is a program that aims to raise awareness of the need for more minority physicians and to encourage children from underrepresented minority groups to look at medicine as a career option. Through Doctors Back to School, physicians and medical students across the country visit schools and community organizations to help young minority children realize they, too, can follow the same path.

Take part in a Doctors Back to School visit in Atlanta on Thursday, July 24
A Doctors Back to School visit is scheduled for Thursday, July 24 at 2:15 p.m. at a local community organization with 50-75 preteen girls.  We are currently looking for female physicians to participate in this visit held in conjunction with the National Medical Association's Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly.  For more information send an e-mail to Gloria.Boone@ama-assn.org or Wilda.Knox@ama-assn.org.

Tripti Kataria, MD, anesthesiologist, shares a laugh with a Daniel Hale Williams Preparatory School of Medicine student during the medical scavenger hunt.

The program continues year round and was orginally launched in March 2002. As of 2007, the AMA is partnering with the Commission to End Healthcare Disparities to increase the number of physicians and schools taking part in the Doctors Back to School program.  Participating physicians visit schools in their communities as real-life role modes, sharing their experiences in preparing for medical school and helping young minority children realize they can follow the same path. The latest Doctors Back to School kit is available online. Physicians are encouraged to continue making visits to schools and other community programs whenever they can during the year.

Recent Doctors Back to School Activities and Press Releases:

Rosie Lyles, MD, clinical investigator for infectious disease at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County takes part in a DBTS visit.

DBTS event on May 16, 2008
Five physicians and a medical student visited Lenart Regional Gifted Center on Chicago’s South Side.  At least 270 students, from Kindergarten to 8th grade participated in individual classroom the visits.  During the visits, many of the students had an opportunity to ask questions about becoming a physician and engage in role play.

DBTS event on April 16, 2008
On April 16, 2008, for the second consecutive year, the AMA held a DBTS visit at Buck Lodge Middle School in Adelphi, MD. This visit was held in conjunction with the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) in Washington, DC. Approximately 700 7th and 8th grade students and 6 physicians and medical students participated.

DBTS event on Nov. 8, 2007
A second visit to the Mililani Middle School located in Mililani, Hawaii, just outside of Honolulu took place on Nov. 8, 2007.  This visit was requested by the school subsequent to a DBTS visit in August 2007.  The format was an hour long presentation that was followed by a question and answer period.

DBTS event on Oct. 23, 2007
Physicians and AMA staff visited the John J. Pershing West Magnet School, a Chicago public school that was created through the Renaissance 2010 initiative.  The format for this visit entailed individual classroom visits for each group.  Each team assigned to the classroom typically consisted of one or two physicians and one AMA staff member.  Classroom activities included a combination of lectures, question-and-answer sessions, medical spelling bee, trivia questions, and displaying props such as x-rays.

DBTS event on Aug. 7, 2007
Physicians visited the Mililani Middle School located in Mililani, Hawaii, just outside of Honolulu.  The school is open year round with sixth through eighth grade students.  The format was two 45-minute presentations that were followed by a question-and-answer session and trivia questions.  Two hundred students participated in the event.

DBTS event on April 23, 2007 in Baltimore, Md.  (PDF, 27KB)

DBTS event on April 23, 2007 in Washington, DC (PDF, 27KB)

DBTS inspire Future Doctors of America Club

American Medical News, Oct. 3, 2005: "Doctor training starts here in 7th grade" (Viewing article requires AMA membership or American Medical News subscription)

August 2005: AMA releases newly designed Doctors Back to School kits