In 1998, the Chicago Reporter released an in-depth analysis that brought to light the severe shortage of African American physicians in the Chicagoland area. The study revealed that while blacks make up the large majority of Chicago’s population, only 7 percent of the city’s physicians are black. According to data from AAMC Medical School Enrollment roughly 8% of applicants to medical school and 7% of enrollees are African-American while making up 13% of the U.S. population. Today, the number of African American males graduating from medical school remains behind other groups and, sadly, is declining. According to a 2013 survey, nurses from minority backgrounds represent only 19% of the registered workforce.

African-American’s suffer a great disparity in health outcomes from deaths from cancer to poor control of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The shortage of African-American physicians affects this disparity. Black physicians are more likely to serve in underserved areas and studies show that when patients have a physician or nurse of the same race, there is improved compliance and patient satisfaction.