A recent report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) found that African-American males had the lowest application rate for medical school. Ramon Goings, program coordinator for the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program, responded to this report by issuing a call to action to increase the representation of African-American males in the medical profession.

In a column for The Edvocate, Goings points to barriers in the education pipeline and advocates for improving STEM education and supporting historically Black colleges and universities as they train African-American doctors. “We must work collaboratively to increase the amount of African American males not only attending medical school, but graduating from these institutions,” he wrote. “Solving this issue will require educational institutions (K-12 and higher education) generally, and medical schools specifically to examine how the school climate and culture negatively impact the socialization of African American males.”