Research suggests that patients who visit health professionals of similar racial or cultural identities are more likely to have positive health outcomes. Yet members of underrepresented groups in many U.S. states often struggle to find a healthcare provider who shares their background. In Louisana, for example, Black Americans make up 32.8% of the state’s population but only 8% of the state’s physicians.
The University of Notre Dame’s Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society has received a grant from Ascension Foundation for Health Equity to assess the effectiveness of a program that aims to address that gap and foster diversity in the health industry by providing early exposure to healthcare career education.
The project will evaluate the impact of the #GOALS (Go Out And Love Science) program, which was developed by the Ascension Foundation for Health Equity to provide early exposure to healthcare career education, thereby inspiring individuals from diverse backgrounds to consider and pursue careers in healthcare. Launched in 2022 in schools within Louisiana and Tennessee, #GOALS students participate in a one-day workshop of interactive sessions with medical students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and healthcare professionals.
Sugana Chawla, associate professor of the practice for the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, is the principal investigator for the project, which is titled “From Classroom to Healthcare Practice: Evaluating the Sustained Impact of the #GOALS Program on Healthcare Career Paths.”
The Lucy Family Institute researchers will develop a longitudinal study design to assess the impact of the #GOALS program on students’ educational trajectories and career aspirations, especially in healthcare careers. The assessment of the #GOALS program will involve a measurement of various program outcomes, such as increased awareness of healthcare careers among participants, the diversity of program participants and any subsequent steps they take toward entering the healthcare field. The project will also include a custom AI-enabled mobile application that will help support continuous engagement for #GOALS participants.
“Overall, this project aims to study long-term effects of early STEM engagement toward healthcare careers for underrepresented groups. We aim to create an interactive and informative experience for participants, utilizing technology to engage students, conduct a longitudinal study, and provide educational support through an innovative platform,” explains Chawla. “By assessing the program, we can determine how well it is meeting its objectives of fostering a more diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce. We are grateful to receive this grant and look forward to identifying effective practices that can work towards scaling and enhancing #GOALS.”
Valentina Kuskova, professor of the practice and associate director for the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society is the co-principal investigator for the project. “In alignment with Notre Dame’s University-wide strategic priority in Health and Well-Being, the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society is dedicated to developing innovative approaches to advancing opportunities for health equity,” Kuskova said. “By evaluating the #GOALS experiential learning program, we hope to provide valuable insights that strengthen early workforce development and encourage equitable access to health.”
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with the team at the Lucy Family Institute to understand the effectiveness of our #GOALS program,” said Robyn Brenza Kress, President of the Ascension Foundation for Health Equity. “Insights from this research will inform how we refine #GOALS and help us shape future pipeline initiatives that will contribute to systemic change.”
The study is supported through collaborations with Meharry Medical College.
For more information about other health equity projects within the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, please visit the website.
Contact:
Christine Grashorn, Program Director, Engagement and Strategic Storytelling
Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society / University of Notre Dame
cgrashor@nd.edu / 574.631.4856
lucyinstitute.nd.edu / @lucy_institute
About the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society
Guided by Notre Dame’s Mission, the Lucy Family Institute adventurously collaborates on advancing data-driven convergence research, translational solutions, and education to ethically address society’s wicked problems. As an innovative nexus of academia, industry, and the public, the Institute also fosters data science and artificial intelligence (AI) access to strengthen diverse and inclusive capacity building within communities. Our vision is to become the preeminent intellectual beacon, inspiring collaborative, equitable, and impactful data and AI innovations as a global force for good.