Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) is on a mission to promote the practice of medicine in underserved areas, expand the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine and improve health outcomes for patients.
Established in 2007 as one of 30 campuses within The Touro College and University System, the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) Harlem campus is celebrating its Class of 2022 as its most diverse in the campus’s history. Thirty-seven out of 135 students — or 27 percent — are underrepresented minority students, a number significantly larger than the 8.9 percent of minority students in the field nationwide, according to the college’s website.
Of that class, 17 are male, 20 are female, 19 are Black, 16 are Hispanic and two are American Indian, says Dr. Nadege Dady, dean of student affairs for TouroCOM Harlem.
According to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), osteopathic medicine is a distinctive form of medical care founded on the philosophy that all body systems are interrelated and dependent upon one another for good health. The profession has historically had a low number of minorities working in the field. In 2017, only 12 percent of American doctors were Black, and the percentage of Hispanics and Native Americans in the field is significantly less, according to a report from the Tour for Diversity in Medicine.
TouroCOM participates in a number of community outreach and recruitment efforts that help maintain and increase its minority student population. Dr. David Forstein, dean of TouroCOM Harlem says that the institution offers annual recruiting visits at both historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and institutions that have significant minority student populations.
The goal, he says, is to create an incoming class of students who feel like the institution is welcoming. “If you’re the only student of color in a class of 135 students, or there’s only two of you, that doesn’t feel warm and welcoming,” he says. “So we’ve traditionally been around 18 percent students of color. This year our incoming class is somewhere around 27 – 28 percent students of color. So, right away they don’t feel like they’re such a minority here.”
The Student Experience
