Veterinary schools included in minority report

Ann Arbor, Mich.

-- All types of U.S. medical schools are lacking in minority representation according to a new study by the University of Michigan, and veterinary colleges are no exception.

Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine took a look at its minority numbers after the University of Michigan study and found that only about one-seventh of its 2009 graduates were minorities.

The University of Michigan study, “Underrepresentation of underrepresented minorities in academic medicine: the need to enhance the pipeline and the pipe,” published in the January issue of Gastroenterology, found that the ratio of minority faculty members at medical schools was much lower than the ratio in the general U.S. population. Furthermore, the number of faculty trainees was unlikely to reverse the trend.

Data from Michigan State University shows a similar trend among the school's College of Veterinary Medicine. Among the schools approximately 400 students, 30 identified themselves as minorities. Fourteen identified themselves as Asian, nine identified themselves as Hispanic, four identified themselves as American Indian, and three identified themselves as African American.