On August 7, the School of Medicine hosted the 19th Annual Health Disparities Research Symposium. It featured more than 60 biomedical research presentations from high school, undergraduate, graduate, and medical students participating in the various biomedical research training programs sponsored by the Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine (CHDMM).

Mark A. Lawson, PhD, professor of OB-GYN and reproductive sciences and the director of UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at UC San Diego School of Medicine, shared the keynote address titled, “Forging a New Path: Choosing and Pursuing a Career in STEM.” The speech was particularly relevant to the students, as many are the first in their families to pursue STEM degrees.

The CHDMM has done much to support minority students pursuing postgraduate degrees at Loma Linda University. Before its inception, 9 percent of PhD students graduating from the School of Medicine were minorities. In 2016, that number had climbed to 39 percent. Such progress was a primary reason why the National Institutes of Health recently designated the CHDMM as a Center of Excellence on Health Disparities Research.