From conference to career: Tracing medical pathways of Stanford university’s minority medical alliance (SUMMA) premedical conference alumni

Despite the growing diversity of the U.S. population, racial and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in healthcare professions, perpetuating health disparities. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Stanford University’s Minority Medical Alliance (SUMMA) Premedical Conference in addressing these challenges. We conducted a survey of 238 former conference attendees from 2018 to 2023 to assess the conference’s impact on their educational and career trajectories in medicine. The survey examined demographic variables, post-graduate intentions, and perceptions of the conference’s impact using a 5-point Likert scale. 85% of survey respondents identified as first-generation medical students, with significant representation from Hispanic/Latino (30.67%), Black/African-American (20.17%), and Asian (21.43%) backgrounds. 44% applied to medical school post-conference, and 74% aspired to or were enrolled in medical school. Chi-square tests revealed that 43.75% of Black/African-American and 37.67% of Hispanic/Latino respondents applied to medical school, compared to 28.57% of Asian respondents (χ²=10.72, p=0.030), and that 56.25% of economically disadvantaged students applied to medical school compared to 30.91% of those not disadvantaged (χ²=16.99, p=0.001). Logistic regression highlighted that first-generation and economically-disadvantaged students had higher odds of applying to medical school (OR=4.84, p=0.005; OR=9.94, p<0.001). Likert scale responses showed that 81.9% of respondents agreed that the conference increased their confidence in navigating medical school applications and 68.2% agreed that it increased their confidence in seeking advisors. By sharing the effectiveness of the SUMMA conference in supporting minority students, we provide a learning opportunity by which other institutions may engage their communities to increase diversity in healthcare education.