This conference is a recruitment strategy that we implemented in 2019 to increase the number of applications by students that are enrolled in a medical education program at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. There is a shortage of African-American and black physicians across America. Having these types of programs to recruit highly qualified students who would matriculate into medical education would help to resolve health disparities.

"Those individuals who are interested in the field of medicine, work hard in their courses, work hard on their MCATs, do extra curricular work .... you will get admitted to medical school. You have the power to do a lot about it. We want to help you in that. We want to present LSU Health Shreveport as an exciting place to begin your career in medicine." - Dr. David Guzick, LSUHS Chancellor

"Here at LSU Health Shreveport, we are so excited about the accomplishments we've made with this conference, the relationships that we built with pre-med advisors and our community partners who have decided that they want to help LSU Health Shreveport and the Shreveport community recruit qualified students." - Toni Thibeaux, EdD, MPH, CLS, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity Affairs

2023 marked the 5^th anniversary of the HBCU educational conference, and we are proud of our accomplishments!!

Each year, we have achieved our two performance goals, which is to:
(1) increase the percentage of prospective medical students enrolled at an HBCU who participate in the conference and
(2) five percent of the HBCU participants who identify as a senior will apply, interview, accept, or enroll in our medical education program.

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