TAMPA, Fla. — According to a 2022 study from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)less than 6 percent of U.S. doctors are Black, nearly 7 percent are Hispanic, and just over 20 percent identify as Asian.
And according to that same study about 64 percent of U.S. doctors are white.
It's a gap that Dr. Dexter Frederick has been working to close for the last 20 years—through his Brain Expansions Scholastic Training (B.E.S.T.) program.
He recently invited ABC Action News to a graduation ceremony to see the fruits of his labor all these years later.
We watched as the teen participants of the B.E.S.T. Summer Medical Academy were awarded certificates. Through the program, these students went through weeks of hands-on medical simulations, lectures, and training.
Seventeen-year-old Diosa Villaneuva is a two-time participant who told ABC Action News that the program helped reinforce her goal of being a neurosurgeon.
"We also got to see a few surgical videos as well. And we actually got to see that last year as well, where they cut like a brain open, and I was just amazed. It was just amazing to be able to see that," she said.
On the other hand, seventeen-year-old Simeon Jorden said the program shifted his plans.
"At first, I wanted to be an anesthesiologist and that was my first year. My second year here I became interested in cardiology," he said.
For Dr. Frederick, that's the whole point—to connect kids of color to real-world opportunities in medicine before they get to college. The hope is to spark an interest and help them visualize what their future could be.
"In this journey that I went through to become a physician, it's not an easy road—especially those from marginalized backgrounds," he said.
He added that in the last 20 years, the B.E.S.T. program has worked with more than 5,000 kids. And many have gone on to work in some part of the medical field.
Ever the future planner, he said he's already planning for the next 20 years.
"We want to be even more intentional about using technology, using 3D virtual reality. We want to expand into the whole state of Florida. We want to expand outside of Florida. And we have had some requests even internationally," he said.
The organization is celebrating its 20th anniversary at a gala in October. To learn more, click here.
