Hi folks,
My medical school alma mater is Howard University College of Medicine located in Washington, DC. Howard is the old historically black college of medicine which has been joined by Meharry, Morehouse, and King/Drew. Established in 1868, Howard University College of Medicine (HUCM) has trained 95% of the African-American physicians practicing today. Among the alums of HUCM are LaSalle LeFalle, Jr, first Africian-American president of the American College of Surgeons, Charles Drew who established the first blood bank in the United states and Daniel Hale Williams who performed the first caeserian section in the United States at Freedmon’s Hospital. Today, Howard boasts, an internationally known faculty that includes LaSalle Lefalle, Jr, Clive O. Callender (kidney transplant surgeon), Ernest Myers (ENT professor and author of the definitive book on Head and Neck Cancer) Gary Dennis (neurosurgeon and holder of multiple patents for intraventricular medication devices), Robert Dennis (president of the Washington Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and Georgia Dunston (internationally famous tissue typing expert).
Howard is the touchstone of the LeDroit Park District in Washington, DC and is within walking distance of Washington Hospital Center and Childrens Hospital National Medical Center that are two of its varied clinical affiliates. Other clinical sites are The Washington DC Veterans Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Providence Hospital. Howard also offers opportunities for medical student research with the DC medical examiners office, CDC in Atlanta and the National Institutes of Science in Bethesda.
Howard’s greatest asset is its diversity of student body and faculty. Howard’s student body is typically 40% African-American or of African origin, 30% Latino, 10% Caucasian, 10% Asian and 10% Middle Eastern/East Indian. The various cultures come together to embrace the diversity of the needs of the various populations in the District of Columbia. Howard has a national charter to produce physicians who will serve in underserved areas so Howard’s tuition is very affordable for a private medical college. Howard also boasts excellent scholarship and financial aid for those who qualify.
Howard alumi are to be found in all corners of the country from the Chief of Trauma Surgery at Johns Hopkins University, Edward Corwell, III to the Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Cleveland Clinic. The brotherhood of alums extends to the present students and grads with most students matching at their first choice for residency.
Howard provides an outstanding, culturally-rich environment in which to study medicine. The curriculum is a systems based integrated curriculum which incorporates PBL. The class size is generally ~ 125 students. Howard University College of Medicine awards both the Doctor of Medicine and the Doctor of Philosphy/Doctor of Medicine combined degrees.
Natalie 
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Howard has a national charter to produce physicians who will serve in underserved areas so Howard’s tuition is very affordable for a private medical college.
Howdy Natalie!
How does Howard go about achieving its goal of producing physicians to practice in these areas? Is this part of the selection criteria?
The Texas schools that work towards this same goal try to attract students from underserved areas with the thought that they’ll go back to those areas. They also try (to some degree anyway) to look for this in essays. I’m not sure that they’ve had much success, however. It seems that somewhere along the way, students develop a liking for suburban areas.
Thanks and take care,
Jeff
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The Texas schools that work towards this same goal try to attract students from underserved areas with the thought that they’ll go back to those areas. They also try (to some degree anyway) to look for this in essays. I’m not sure that they’ve had much success, however. It seems that somewhere along the way, students develop a liking for suburban areas.
Hey Jeff, in the same way, GWU allegedly is most interested in those students who want to go into primary care. However, my class this year matched TWELVE people into ophthalmology (no sh!t!!!), fifteen in anesthesia, something equally ridiculous in rads and E-med. Of the fifty or so going into medicine, most I know plan to go on to fellowships. There ARE eleven of us going into family medicine, 6 I think in Peds.
I know UTMB doesn’t have the $$$ issue we have at GWU; at least part of the, uh, evolution of interests has to do with the indebtedness we are all facing as we graduate. My loan is less than my mortgage - but not by much. Sometimes I wonder if our primary care preceptorship during years 1&2 actually backfires, because we get an early view of the incredible hassles and thankless tasks involved in primary care. (where’s the roly-eyes smiley when you need it?) Of course I also am pretty sure that some people made claims in their essays that, um, how shall we say, couldn’t be substantiated.
Hey Jeff,
Howard does give priority to folks who are interested in practicing in underserved areas. You are not “bound” to primary care or to practice to the underserved but many of us have interests there. I know that my desire to leave Charlottesville was based largely on wanting to be back in a large city. I really love the urban population though I will get a pretty good dose of wealthy suburbia at my base hospital in Cleveland.
Natalie 
Hi there,
Some updates about Howard University College of Medicine. First, we have a new Dean and Vice-President of Medical Affairs. He is Robert Taylor MD, Ph.D and he is one of the most outstanding physician-scientists ever. He comes to the helm of HUCM after being Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology. He is a very strong academic and a great person to carry Howard forward into the 21st century.
The second great announcement is the huge success of the new integrated curriculum and the new Louis Stokes Library. The curriculum changed from a classical curriculum to the new integrated curriculum in 2003. This curriculum is identical to the curriculum used at Duke University and has more than proven itself with the increased USMLE Step I and II scores. Students are generally in class from 8AM to 1PM on most days. All lectures are videotaped and available on the internet for review. In addition, all syllabi and instructors Powerpoint presentations are available for download. All classrooms are completely wired with special accoustical remodeling to make every seat audio the same whether you sit in the front or rear of the classroom.
The totally electronic Louis Stokes Library is a model for the modern medical library. This facility was built in conjuction with the National Library of Medicine and features loads of light and airy places to study and learn. From the top of the dome, there is a clear view to the Mall with a wonderful 360-degree panorama.
Every medical student is furnished with a laptop computer during orientation unless you have a laptop that meets the medical schools specifications. Each student is also furnished with a microscope for their use during first and second year at no cost to the student.
Howard made some major upgrades with the new Dean and a complete remodeling. It has become an model for the modern, electronic medical school. To this end, Howard received more than 5,000 applications for 110 seats this year making 2006 one of the most competitive years yet.
Natalie
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Hi there,
Some updates about Howard University College of Medicine. First, we have a new Dean and Vice-President of Medical Affairs. He is Robert Taylor MD, Ph.D and he is one of the most outstanding physician-scientists ever. He comes to the helm of HUCM after being Chairman of the Department of Pharmacology. He is a very strong academic and a great person to carry Howard forward into the 21st century.
Thanks for the updates about Howard!! I’m glad to have this school on my list of schools to apply to in 2006, or more likely 2007. Now if the city council can just get things worked out with that new hospital…
On another note, it’s with great sadness that I report the death in January of this year of Dr. Roland Smoot, who was a Howard undergrad/med school graduate, and worked with aspiring and current minority med students at Hopkins. I spoke to him on a number of occasions and his passion and commitment to the matriculation and graduation of minority students was phenominal! He’ll be sorely mnissed!! His legacy in medicine lives on through his son, an MD and Howard professor/researcher too!
Ya know, had I known what I know now about Howard, I would have certainly applied there when I was a pre-med. Dr. Nat took me on a personally guided tour last June (2005). Everyone I met was very nice & the facilities on par or exceeding every other med school I have toured before.
Nat,
PLEASE DELETE YOUR POST! I do not need anymore competition…it’s taken long enough to get back on track and I don’t need 5k+ to compete with.
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Nat,
PLEASE DELETE YOUR POST! I do not need anymore competition…it’s taken long enough to get back on track and I don’t need 5k+ to compete with.
Hey there,
The good thing about Howard is that if you are suited to learning medicine in an exciting and diverse environment, 10,000 or not, you are going to rise to the top of the heap. Howard looks for a specific type of student (read adaptable) and gets what they want. If you love this type of learning environment, you will be fine and you will stand out of the masses anywhere.
It’s just great that they have upgraded their facilites for adult learners who are facile with the electronic age.
Natalie
I’d go to Howard in a heartbeat. My pastor went there for undergrad and divinity and so did a bunch of the members of the church. I’ve heard great things and was informed on how to get around the administration challenges. 