Brock Virginia Health Sciences EVMS at ODU tops ‘most diverse’ list
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Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) at Old Dominion University (ODU) has been named the most diverse medical school in Virginia, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-2025 rankings. The medical school tied for the number one position with the University of Virginia.
The publication’s Most Diverse Medical Schools report identifies colleges nationwide where students are most likely to encounter peers from racial or ethnic groups different from their own. Approximately 18 percent of students at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University identify as part of a racial or ethnic minority. The national rankings are based on Fall 2023 enrollment.
“In classrooms and clinical settings, we strive for our institution to serve as a true reflection of the community and state we serve,” said ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. “We are proudly educating a growing number of healthcare professionals from all walks of life and sincerely appreciate this well-deserved recognition of our talented students and world-class faculty of caring clinicians and groundbreaking researchers.”
EVMS has consistently ranked among the highest in the state since U.S. News & World Reports’ medical school-specific diversity rankings debuted four years ago. The school ranks #52 for diversity in the nation among the 164 medical and osteopathic schools included in the report. U.S. News also recognizes EVMS among medical schools with the highest number of graduates practicing direct patient care in medically underserved areas.
“We believe our students’ success is largely rooted in learning from life experiences and backgrounds different from their own,” said Alfred Abuhamad, MD, executive vice president of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University and dean of EVMS. “As an institution of higher learning responsible for the training of the next generation of healthcare professionals, we integrate inclusiveness in our students’ education, faculty development, health disparities research, patient care, community engagement and training and climate improvements.”
Efforts include, among many others, endowed scholarships that provide financial support to students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine and health professions; initiatives such as The L.D. Britt Premedical Scholars program, a longitudinal mentoring program for Norfolk State and Hampton University students; and the recently launched ENRICHe program, a partnership with Norfolk State focused on addressing health disparities, enhancing research opportunities and expanding pathways for underrepresented students into medicine and health professions.
Community engagement programs include the Community Inclusion and Health Equity (CIHE) initiative, which integrates community input into clinical, educational and research activities, and the Regional Cancer Disparities Collaborative (RCDC), which brings together all the health systems in the region, as well as community partners, to address the tremendous prostate, colon and breast cancer disparities regionally.
Each medical school's ranking is based on the percentage of total enrollment, as reported to U.S. News, that includes underrepresented minority students and how that percentage compares with state and national race-ethnic group proportions. U.S. News worked on this ranking with the Robert Graham Center, a division of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The listing defines underrepresented minority students as those who are Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.
Read the Diversity Statement of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University.