NEW YORK - s4story -- American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine and Charles R. Drew University (CDU) of Medicine and Science are teaming up to create a new admissions pathway for African-Americans and other under-represented minorities to fulfill their dreams of practicing medicine.

Under the terms of the June 2019 agreement, CDU postbaccalaureate students who meet admissions requirements would earn preferred acceptance to medical school at AUA and up to $60,000 in scholarships to fund their education. CDU students completing the school's Master's in Biomedical Science Program are also eligible.

It's perhaps natural to partner AUA—a leading international medical school that has long advocated increasing diversity in the physician workforce—with CDU, a historically black college and university (HBCU) founded in 1966 to address healthcare disparities in southern Los Angeles.

According to data from the Association for American Medical Colleges, a disproportionate number of African-Americans are entering and attending medical school when compared to other ethnicities. For the 2018-2019 medical school admissions cycle, only 8 percent of medical school applicants identified as African-American. In addition, for that same period, African-Americans accounted for only 7 percent of all matriculating medical school students.

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"We don't have enough under-represented minorities attending medical school, period," said Neal Simon, AUA President. "Men and women of color should have the same opportunities as anyone else, and I'm proud to partner with our colleagues at CDU to help ensure that everyone, regardless of ethnicity, has a chance to become a doctor."

About American University of Antigua College of Medicine

American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine is a fully accredited international medical school dedicated to providing an academic experience of the highest quality. Via a holistic admissions approach, AUA selects students with the potential for medical school success and provides them with the resources they need to obtain highly competitive residencies and move on to successful careers in medicine.

Founded in 2004, AUA awards the Doctor of Medicine degree after students complete a two-year basic sciences curriculum on the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, followed by clinical rotations in the United States, Canada, India, or the United Kingdom at affiliated teaching hospitals. AUA is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP).

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AUA is approved by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in federal student aid programs, approved by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), licensed by the Florida Department of Education (DOE), and recognized by the Medical Board of California (MBC).

Visit www.auamed.org to learn more.