Developed in response to a grant from Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute, this report focuses on one specific health workforce challenge: the absence of African American men in medicine.

As a health workforce policy and practice leader in Illinois, Health & Medicine recognizes that the workforce challenges we face locally and nationally are multifaceted. There is a need for more healthcare workers and a more diverse workforce across all fields. This paper largely addresses challenges and solutions beginning at the high school level, however we are acutely aware that comprehensive solutions must begin earlier in the pipeline.

While this paper examines one facet of the challenges faced by the health workforce, we believe the potential solutions presented here can be applied across sectors, disciplines, and geographies to expand and diversify the sector.

Thanks to Sharon Post and Ahrianna Mitchell-Sodipe for their contributions to this report.

Read the full report here.