Evaluation of UIC medical school bias reduction in medicine (BRIM) training on minority medical school application and matriculation

Minority communities continue to be underrepresented in U.S. medical schools due to the inequitable admission processes. The underrepresentation results in disparities in the composition of American medical students, leading to significant healthcare inequities for underrepresented communities. Therefore, the aim of this quantitative study was to understand how university-initiated policies, programs, and strategies can impact medical school admission processes, with a focus on a bias reduction in medicine (BRIM) training program for medical school selection committees. The purpose of the program evaluation study was to assess the impact of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) School of Medicine’s heightened focus on BRIM training for medical school selection committee on the rate of admission and matriculation for underrepresented minorities into medical school during years 2021, 2022, and 2023. Critical race theory formed the theoretical foundation for the study, with the overarching research question being: How does UIC’s BRIM training impact minoritized students’ application yield and matriculation? Secondary data were collected on applicants and matriculants from the UIC School of Medicine for the years 2018 through 2023. Data from 2018 to 2020 were used as a benchmark to assess the changes from 2021 to 2023. Data analysis involved linear regression analysis to evaluate whether significant relationships existed between the dependent variables (minoritized students' application yield and matriculation rates) and BRIM training. The findings showed that the BRIM program enhanced equity in the admission process. Matriculation rates for Whites decreased with training, whereas that of racial minorities increased. These findings imply that racial disparity can be addressed by implementing outreach initiatives targeting underrepresented minority students to enhance their medical school enrollment.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Dorsey, Kevin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pak, Yoon
• Ward Hood, Denice
• Huang, Wen-Hao David
• Lee, Sharon

• Keywords: Underrepresented
• Brim Training
• Medical School
• Application Yield
• Matriculation Rates
• Minoritized Students
• Critical Race Theory

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Kevin Dorsey

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127342

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127342