Our Mission
To inspire self-confidence into the next generation of healthcare professionals by providing educational resources and access to a supportive network of students and healthcare professionals.
A world in which America’s healthcare system is composed of professionals from all backgrounds .
Our Vision
Our Values
There are three words at the very core of our organization: knowledge, unity, and empowerment
Knowledge
Knowledge is a crucial aspect of making informed decisions about picking a career in medicine by understanding what different professions look like and the specific paths that they require
Unity
Unity relates to having access to a network of organizations, healthcare experts, and other pre-health individuals in order to develop meaningful connections that will guide students throughout their careers
Empowerment
Empowerment allows attendees to feel prepared and motivated to achieve their personal and professional goals. We at the National Pre-Health Community work very hard to promote these values throughout our events and resources.
Why We Care
For students from underrepresented backgrounds, including low-income, first-generation and minority individuals, the path towards a career in healthcare is paved with many obstacles.
According to the AAMC, only about 5% of physicians identify as African-American and less than 6% of physicians identify as Hispanic, despite the fact that these groups make up 13% and 19% of the U.S. population, respectively. Furthermore, over 72% of medical students in the U.S came from households in the top 40% of family income between 1988 and 2022.
The overall phenomenon of the departure of underrepresented students from the healthcare path who previously intended to pursue it is known as the
“leaky pipeline”
and it has been one of the main obstacles to achieving diversity in healthcare professions.
NPHC seeks to address barriers that contribute to the “leaky pipeline” and deter students from pursuing a healthcare career, including:
Lack of connections to healthcare experiences and opportunities
Lack of access to adequate information and mentors
Competitive pre-health environments in many universities
NPHC’s mission is to motivate underrepresented undergraduate students to continue pursuing a career in healthcare and connect them with resources and a supportive pre-health community that will guide them throughout their college journeys and on their path to professional schools.