News Release

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HARTFORD, Conn., May 11, 2011 — Increasing the number of health care professionals from African-American, Hispanic and Native American backgrounds is the goal of four programs receiving funding, the Aetna Foundation announced today.  Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have allocated a total of $454,000 in financial support to separate programs that provide medical and scientific educational opportunities for middle school, college and medical school students from minority populations.

According to U.S. Census data and the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, African Americans represent 13 percent of the U.S. population yet just 4 percent of its physicians.  Hispanics represent 15 percent of the population and only 5 percent of doctors.   Native Americans are 1 percent of the population and only 0.2 percent of today’s physicians.

The Aetna Foundation has awarded grants to Southern Methodist University to provide a physician and scientific summer training program for middle school students; to the Four Directions Summer Research Program to support an eight-week research course for college students sponsored by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School; and to National Medical Fellowships (NMF) to create the Aetna Foundation/NMF National Leadership Program that will provide medical school scholarships. Additionally, Aetna has awarded a grant to UNCF (United Negro College Fund) to provide financial aid to college students typically attending historically black colleges and universities.

“Widening the pipeline to enable more men and women from underrepresented minorities to pursue medical careers is a key strategy for improving health equity in our country,” said Anne C. Beal, M.D., M.P.H., president of the Aetna Foundation, who had been a National Medical Fellow during her own medical training.  “Studies have shown that a high proportion of health care providers from underrepresented minorities, such as African Americans and Latinos, return to their communities to practice medicine and are more likely to treat low-income, medically underserved and vulnerable populations.

“As the U.S. population becomes progressively more diverse, we need to increase the number of health care providers who have the appropriate cultural literacy skills to engage their patients fully with their treatment to ensure good health outcomes,” said Beal.  “Through our support of these programs, we believe we can make a positive impact on health equity in the United States.”

The grants announced today are:

• $50,000 from the Aetna Foundation to Southern Methodist University in Dallas to help fund an intensive six-week scientific curriculum to 120 academically gifted seventh and eighth graders from minority populations on its campus during the summer of 2011.  The rigorous summer regimen is the junior-high component of the Distance Learning Center’s successful initiative, the Physician Scientist Training Program, the nation's first biomedical program that identifies, trains and supports minority students starting in the seventh grade until college graduation.  With a goal of producing more minority physicians and scientists, the Physician Scientist Training Program has already seen 85 percent of its graduates enter medical school or other science-based degree programs.
  
• $204,000 from the Aetna Foundation to the Four Directions Summer Research Program (FDSRP) in Boston, Mass., to support its eight-week summer research experience at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School for American Indian and Alaska Native college students.  With the goal of increasing the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives in medicine, science and health care, FDSRP provides students with a mentored research project combined with an extensive career development curriculum.  The research project is conducted under the tutelage of a Harvard Medical School faculty member and culminates in the student’s preparation of a formal research abstract and oral presentation. The goal of this project is to not only expose students to research at a competitive academic institution, but to further emphasize to them that, with the proper guidance, they can thrive in an intellectually rigorous environment. The one-on-one faculty mentorship also provides an opportunity for students to receive highly individualized instruction and to develop a connection that often leads to longer-term mentoring following the conclusion of the program.  Since its founding in 1994, FDSRP has enrolled 142 students representing 78 tribes and 81 colleges.  Among past program participants, two-thirds subsequently enrolled in medical or graduate school.  American Indian and Alaska Native populations suffer from some of the largest health disparities in the nation.  These populations experience a five-year shorter lifespan than the general U.S. population, suffer disproportionately from chronic diseases and mental health disorders, and are one of the most underrepresented groups in the health profession.  In 2004 there were only 2,457 Native American or Native Alaskan physicians in the U.S.  
  
• $100,000 from the Aetna Foundation to National Medical Fellowships (NMF) in New York to establish the Aetna Foundation/NMF National Leadership Program that will provide $5,000 scholarships to 10 second- and third-year medical students from underrepresented minority groups.  Recipients commit to practice medicine in medically underserved communities and are distinguished by their community service and leadership potential.  Since its inception in 1946, NMF has provided more than $40 million in need-based awards to more than 30,000 students from minority populations pursuing medical careers or doctoral degrees in health policy and research. By alleviating the need for large student loans through its scholarship programs, NMF enables its financial aid recipients to pursue primary care rather than higher-paying specialties and make basic health care accessible to underserved areas.  The medical school population receiving NMF support are, on average, 70 percent African American, 20 percent Hispanic and 10 percent Native American. 
  
• $100,000 from Aetna Inc. to the UNCF to sponsor its “A Mind Is” gala, held on March 3, 2011, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its iconic motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”  The funding also provides support to UNCF’s 39-member network of private historically black colleges and universities and provides college scholarships for low- and moderate-income students from minority populations.  Nearly two-thirds of UNCF college students are the first in their families to attend college and the majority of students are from families with an annual income of less than $25,000.  UNCF provides financial assistance to upwards of 10,000 students annually. 

Promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care is one of the Aetna Foundation’s three program areas, along with fighting obesity and promoting integrated and well-coordinated health care.  Additional grant recipients that provide educational opportunities in health care for underrepresented minorities include the AcademyHealth/Aetna Foundation Minority Scholars Program, which provides professional development to researchers, doctoral candidates and post-doctoral fellows, and the Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative at the University of Connecticut Health Center, which provides enrichment programs for underserved Hartford, Conn.-area middle and high school students to encourage them to pursue careers in health and science. 

About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation, Inc. is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc.  Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation have contributed $394 million in grants and sponsorships, including $15.6 million in 2010.  As a national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to high-quality health care for everyone.  This work is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna employees, who have volunteered more than 2.3 million hours since 2003.  Our current giving is focused on addressing the rising rate of adult and childhood obesity in the U.S.; promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care; and advancing integrated health care. For more information, visit www.AetnaFoundation.org.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 33.8 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com. To learn more about Aetna’s innovative online tools, visit www.aetnatools.com.