Diversifying the health workforce in Israel and the United States: a comparison.

Abstract

Minority populations in many countries, including Israel and the US, experience significant health disparities compared to the majority population. A health workforce that reflects the characteristics of the population including race/ethnicity, language and socioeconomic backgrounds, can help address these disparities. Over the years, Isreal and the US have implemented a variety of programs and policies to promote greater representation of minority populations in medicine and other health professions. This paper compares some of the efforts and outcomes in the 2 countries to support a more diverse health workforce. While progress has been made in both countries, they now face significant challenges which are likely to put recent progress at risk.