Multicultural Pathway

An Optional Enrichment program at UMass Chan, a Pathway on Serving Multicultural Underserved Populations, is designed to increase the desire and ability of medical students to serve and advocate for new immigrants in the U.S. who are disproportionately medically uninsured compared to the native born population.

Primary learner objectives:

• develop second language proficiency
• develop cultural competence
• develop an appreciation of the hardships experienced by immigrants and refugees during  migration stages.

 The 4 year program combines international and domestic experiences with prevalent foreign-born populations in MA for 25 medical students in each class.

The curriculum includes:

• international experience in the summer after students complete their first year
• a local foreign-born family assignment to learn about cultural health beliefs, the hardships of migration and experiences with health care
• a local community service project with an immigrant group
• the family medicine clerkship in a Community Health Center or a rural health center
• fourth year electives abroad and /or with the Indian Health Service
• written reflections on each experience