The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has a long-standing commitment to improving access to care and quality of care for Americans in areas with a shortage of health professionals. This commitment has gone hand in hand with another: to help minority and disadvantaged students and workers move up the pipeline into better jobs or careers.
The two strategies are synergistic: It has been shown that minority and low-income professionals are more likely to practice in underserved settings, and patients from underserved populations have a better rapport with professionals of similar backgrounds.
This report highlights some of the many initiatives RWJF has supported to widen the pipeline for minorities entering health professions.