
The first medical school to open at a historically Black college or university in 45 years is expected to be located at Morgan State University.
According to CBS News, Morgan State will team up with Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital to launch the private medical school. The school will be designed to give historically underserved minorities a chance to attend medical school and potentially, go on to work in Baltimore.
There is a shortage of doctors in the United States due to the cost of medical school and other barriers to entry. Additionally, African Americans and Latinos are underrepresented in the medical profession in relation to other groups. Ascension St. Agnes Chief Medical Officer, Jon D’Souza says the hope is that this new school will alleviate some of that problem.
“There’s a shortage in the next 10 years, anywhere between 35,000 to 120,000 physicians in the United States of America. We want to make sure we’re doing our part in training that next generation and we also want to make sure that the physicians we’re training are coming from the community they’re going to serve,” said D’Souza.
The school is expected to open in 2024.