Positive change at NEOMED

Feb. 2, 2023

A recently released report from Northeast Ohio Medical University demonstrates the success of the University’s efforts to increase diversity on campus.

Positive Change, an impact report produced by the President’s Diversity and Equity Advisory Council (PDEAC), shares the gains made in increasing the diversity of the student body, goals for future — including increasing diversity among faculty and staff — and success stories.

Formed in the Fall of 2020 and chaired by retired health and human services executive Daisy Alford-Smith, the PDEAC embraced its charge of providing guidance, assisting NEOMED in identifying the priorities related to the University’s Strategic Plan, and working on a multilevel plan of action the paid immediate dividends.

Among the achievements outlined in the report:

• 25% of the incoming 2022 Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) class consists of diverse students. This is on top of last year’s class, which consisted of 30% diverse students.
• Across all Colleges, enrollment of Black and Latinx students increased from 10% in 2019 to 21% in 2022.

To achieve its goals, NEOMED incorporated business principles that challenged assumptions made in medical education and practice, used evidence-based health care issues to identify opportunities, and applied innovative data-driven methods to ensure a sustainable and successful model.

NEOMED, though located in the small (population around 8,000) township of Rootstown, Ohio, has accomplished something that many have claimed wasn’t possible — building a diverse class of talented medical students. According to the report, there’s no good reason that there aren’t more URM students enrolled in medical colleges across the U.S. In fact, data suggest that large numbers of qualified diverse medical students are not being admitted to medical schools nationwide.