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See, seek, support: a policy framework to uplift first-generation low-income medical professionals

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Abstract

The First-Generation and/or Low-Income (FGLI) identity is not readily visible, encapsulating those who are the first in their families to complete a 4-year college degree and/or those living near or below the poverty line. In the backdrop of unprecedented levels of socioeconomic inequality in a country where household income predicts educational attainment, we explore the current state of U.S. society regarding socioeconomic status and health care. We describe challenges in diversifying the health care workforce and present a multi-pronged policy approach for visibilizing, recruiting, supporting, and retaining FGLI trainees in medicine, with the promise of improving the quality of health care delivery altogether. Through this work, we aim to render the field of medicine more equitable for trainees, physicians, and patients alike.

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Abbreviations

AAMC:

Association of American Medical Colleges

AMCAS:

American Medical College Application Service

FGLI:

First-generation/low-income

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jaeyoon Cha, Hillary Brenda Nguyen, Kevin E. Salinas & Sophia C. Kamran

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Sophia C. Kamran

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  1. Jaeyoon Cha
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  2. Hillary Brenda Nguyen
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Cha, J., Nguyen, H.B., Salinas, K.E. et al. See, seek, support: a policy framework to uplift first-generation low-income medical professionals. J Public Health Pol 44, 685–694 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-023-00445-2

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