VA’s Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) is hosting the “2021 Minority Summit: The Power of Collaborating with VA” to advance VA academic partnerships, including those with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI), and highlight VA clinical training opportunities, scholarships, loan programs and research grants.
The summit also aims to explore ideas and strategies to increase the diversity of VA’s health professions trainees and workforce to better reflect the Veterans VA is privileged to serve.
The virtual Minority Summit will be June 9 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. EST. Event coordinators expect more than 350 attendees, primarily representatives from MSIs.
The event is free and open to the public and you may register here. Once you register, you will receive an email with virtual connection details.
The event will be recorded. For inquiries about this virtual event, email: VHACOOAASummitSupport@va.gov.
Researcher takes notes in laboratory
Featured speakers are VA Secretary Denis McDonough (invited), and VHA Chief Medical Officer (Keynote Speaker) Kameron Matthews, MD, JD.
The planned panel discussions include VA clinical training opportunities, health professions education scholarships and loan programs, and research partnership opportunities.
Partnerships help create equity
For 75 years, VA has partnered with America’s medical, nursing and associated health programs to train future health professionals in the highest standards of clinical practice and evidence-based medicine.
Throughout our history, VA has been committed to building a health professions workforce that reflects the Veterans it is privileged to serve. That commitment has guided our academic partnerships.
VA’s education and training mission encompasses the department’s efforts to prepare culturally competent health professionals that understand Veterans’ backgrounds and experiences while building trusting relationships that improve health outcomes.
Today, approximately 120,000 health professions trainees in over 40 health care disciplines train at VA each year. VA partners with more than 1,800 unique colleges and universities, including nearly 200 MSIs.
These dynamic, comprehensive health professions are training to become the next generation of clinicians and health care leaders.
Trainee diversity is key to Veteran care
Approximately 20,000 health professions trainees from MSIs train at VA each year.
A medical trainee conducts an eye exam
These trainees, who embrace VA’s passion to learn and power to heal, are crucial to the success of Veteran health care and developing diversity and cultural competency among future health professionals for VA and the nation.
During the Minority Summit, our goal is to advance and increase these partnerships. We’ll highlight the many opportunities that academic affiliations which VA provides.
“We want to bring together current and future academic affiliates, professional organizations and VA leaders to find more ways to expand diversity in health professions education and VA’s workforce,” said Dr. Paul B. Greenberg, OAA’s acting chief academic affiliations officer. “Partnerships with minority serving institutions are crucial to developing a diverse pipeline of future health professionals for VA and the nation. It’s important to us that trainees and employees reflect the same diversity of the Veterans we care for every day.”
Learn more
- Visit the Office of Academic Affiliations recently updated website.
- Find out more about VA’s academic mission by watching this video.
Clair Hill is a writer for Enterprise Resource Performance, Inc.
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I’m not sure who the person is that wrote the comment above; it’s simply false. Furthermore, those who served in countries like Somali, Iraq, etc. do not continue to harbor ill will against those who come to America and work at the VA’s facilities. I am a 12-year veteran that served two tours in Iraq and twice in Germany.
I did everything right but you dumped my comments
Thank you
I already did
I guess it disappeared
I am a combat viet nam vet and have and noticed all my care is handled by part time people most non military or non veterans.the va is hiding behind the “ Covid shield “ and not seeing disabled veterans like other medical establishments. I haven’t had my teeth cleaned in over a year and was told I should learn to brush correctly. I had major surgery last year and my primary va doctor did nothing to assist. Thank god for Medicare and co pays. Btw I am 100% total and permanent priority 1. Means nothing to most at my VA.
Since I started to receive help for MST things have really changed. I mentioned it and doctors leave the room or change the subject.glad to be nearing the end of the road can’t take any more’help’from caring people who don’t really’care’
You care more about minorities who are not veterans than you do veterans. That’s why you’d rather hire them over qualified veterans. I am a wasp not a somali or some other nationality. There was a somali “working” at my va whom I saw showing her parents around the cafeteria and inviting them to come eat anytime. That is wrong!