The Association between Undergraduate HBCU Training and US Medical Students’ Intention to Practice in Underserved Communities

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This study explores the association between undergraduate attendance at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the intention of U.S. medical students to practice in medically underserved areas (MUAs). Despite comprising only 9% of the U.S. physician workforce, rural communities, particularly those defined as MUAs, face significant healthcare access barriers.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">&nbsp;Existing research suggests that physician race and ethnicity are crucial factors influencing medical practice in underserved communities.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This study investigates whether attending an HBCU influences medical students' intent to work in these areas, especially among Black and African American students, who are underrepresented in the medical profession. Utilizing data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, this research analyzes responses from 115,297 medical students who completed both the Matriculating Student Questionnaire and the Graduation Questionnaire from 2015 to 2022. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between HBCU attendance and intention to practice in MUAs while adjusting for demographic and academic variables. The results indicate that HBCU graduates had significantly higher odds of intending to work in underserved areas, with Black/African American students showing a stronger intention to practice in MUAs than their non-HBCU counterparts. These findings underscore the role of HBCUs in shaping medical students' career intentions and suggest that targeted policies supporting HBCUs could help address physician shortages in underserved regions. Further research is needed to investigate the long-term career outcomes of HBCU graduates and the role of medical education in fostering workforce diversity.</span>