摘要：We read with great interest the paper by Bliss et al on the University of Utah Health Sciences Learning, Engagement, Achievement, and Progress (HS-LEAP) program’s provision of longitudinal support and mentorship for underrepresented in medicine (URM) students.1 The authors reported less than half of accepted students completed the program and suggested the attrition may be partially due to student specific deficits. In addition to student deficiency concerns, the leaky pipeline of diversity-focused programs also represents the need for academic institutions in general to take an inward look to determine how systems and processes should change to improve URM student retention and promote their advancement. The problem isn’t always with the URM student. Students included as underrepresented in medicine were American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Southeast or Refugee Asians, and those from lower socioeconomic and rural backgrounds.
