National Medical Fellowships
| Motto | Building the Next Generation of Health Care Leaders |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Founder | Franklin McLean MD, PHD |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Location |
|
Area served | USA |
| Services | Scholarships, Service Learning Programs |
Key people | Dr. Esther R. Dyer, President & CEO; Dr. Sandra B. Nichols, Chair |
| Website | nmfonline.org |
National Medical Fellowships, Inc. (NMF) is a nonprofit organization that provides scholarshps and support for underrepresented minority students in medicine and the health professions. Since its inception in 1946, National Medical Fellowships has provided over $40 million to upward of 30,000 minority community members. NMF's goal is to identify and nurture tomorrow's diverse healthcare leaders, who have the knowledge, skills and cultural competenc to achieve health equity.
NMF is the only national organization solely dedicated to providings scholarships and support to medical and health professions students across all groups underrepresented in healthcare. NMF is supported by a national network of Alumni who have served tens of millions of patients annually.
History
National Medical Fellowships was started by Dr. Franklin C. McLean MD, PhD, who was a professor of physiology at the University of Chicago.[1] Dr. McLean saw that the lack of opportunities for African-American physicians was a problem.
Long before “diversity” was a national value, NMF began giving scholarships to African American physicians and medical students who otherwise could not have afforded a medical education. As broad social changes swept America, NMF expanded its commitment, giving grants on a national basis to other groups underrepresented in medicine. Founded more than 70 years ago, NMF is a pioneer in diversity - building the next generation of healthcare leaers from all communities. The students that NMF supports reflect America's communities: as physicians and healthcare professionals, they will play a key role in providing quality healthcare to all in our diverse society. Excellence in healthcare can only be provided by increasing workforce diversity.
Through its scholarship programs, NMF has been instrumental in increasing the number of underrepresented minority physicians and researchers in the US. In recent years, NMF has expanded its efforts, with service-learning programs that help medical and health professions students understand pathways to success and connect them with those who have walked the path before them.
NMF was credited by New York Times in decreasing of discrimination and rise of medical enrollments by minorities in 1962.[2]
National Medical Fellowships' Alumni Council consists of the National Alumni Council, Regional Alumni Councils and the Young Leadership Council. The NMF National Alumni Council was established in 2016 and represents more than 18,000 verified Alumni in four regions. In addition to its headquarters in New York City and New Orleans, NMF has regional offices in: Atlanta,on the campus of Morehouse School of Medicine; Chicago at the Fineberg School of Medicine; Los Angeles at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Washington DC hosted by the Howard University Medical Alumni Association Office.