title: Training racial and ethnic minority students for careers in public health sciences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A workforce that resembles the society it serves is likely to be more effective in improving health equity for racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the U.S. public health professions. Project Imhotep is operated by Morehouse College with funding and technical assistance from CDC. Imhotep trains racial and ethnic minority students for entry into graduate and professional training programs for careers in the public health sciences. The curriculum focuses on biostatistics, epidemiology, and occupational safety and health with practical training in statistical data analysis, scientific writing, and oral presentation skills.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the Imhotep program and highlight some of its outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected every year by self-administered questionnaire or follow-up telephone and e-mail interviews of students who participated in Imhotep during 1982-2010 and were followed through December 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings demonstrated that 100% of the 481 trained students earned bachelor's degrees; 73.2% earned graduate degrees (53% earned master's degrees, 11.1% earned medical degrees, and 7.3% earned other doctoral degrees); and 60% entered public health careers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Imhotep program has improved the representation of racial and ethnic minorities among public health professionals in the U.S. A diverse workforce involving Imhotep graduates could augment the pool of pubic health professionals who make strategic and tactical decisions around program design and resource allocation that impact health in the most affected communities.
authors.affiliation: National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address: wed4@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Wayne A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Duffus
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Sciences Institute, Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trawick
authors.affiliation: Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Ramal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Moonesinghe
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Sciences Institute, Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Jigsa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tola
authors.affiliation: National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Benedict I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Truman
authors.affiliation: National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Hazel D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Dean
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D040381:Education, Public Health Professional; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States