USF medical students Jalidsa Pellicier, Class of 2010, and Waldo Guerrero, 2008, in a photo taken at the opening of the student-run BRIDGE Clinic.

Tampa, FL (June 9, 2009) -- The University of South Florida College of Medicine was named one of the country's top 25 medical schools enrolling Hispanic students in the June 8, 2009 issue of Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

USF -- where 45 (10 percent) of the 458 medical students are Hispanic -- ranked 22nd out of the 25 medical schools enrolling the most Hispanic students. The 2007 Hispanic figures reported come from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

“As the Hispanic population grows, the need for Hispanic doctors who can not only speak the language of these new American residents but relate to them on the cultural level grows as well. However, the number of Hispanic students enrolled in medical schools across the United States has not grown significantly over the last few years – and is not keeping pace,” the magazine reports.

While the Hispanic Outlook ranking indicates that Hispanic male students outnumber Hispanic female students in 15 out of the top 25 medical schools, Hispanic women are in the majority (25 women compared to 20 men) at the USF College of Medicine.

“This is a confirmation that our diversity recruitment efforts are producing meaningful outcomes. A diverse student body enriches the educational environment of all students,” said Nazach Rodriguez-Snapp, MSW, MPH, coordinator of Student Diversity and Enrichment at the USF College of Medicine. “For Hispanic applicants, the ranking shows that the College is committed to actively recruiting and retaining underrepresented minorities. For the community, it’s a testament to our ongoing commitment to ethnically diversify the physician workforce and meet the healthcare needs of the Hispanic community."

The rankings appear in the biweekly magazine's annual health issue.

- USF Health -
USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

Photo by Eric Younghans/USF Health Communications