Newswise — For the third consecutive year, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston has been recognized as one of the top medical schools in the country for Hispanic students.
The university propelled ahead two spots from last year's ranking in Hispanic Business Magazine. The magazine named it the fifth best medical school for Hispanic students in the United States.
The rankings will be published in the September issue of the magazine.
"I am very pleased that our medical school's reputation for embracing and nurturing a diverse student body is being recognized and continues to improve," said Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, M.D., dean of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
The medical school has, for years, been recognized for diversity recruitment and retention initiatives and has quickly moved up the ranks on the magazine's list. It climbed from number eight in 2006 to number seven in 2007.
The magazine praised the medical school for providing a "high quality education in a supportive environment" for Hispanic students. Currently, about 13.5 percent of students are Hispanic, according to the Office of Student Affairs.
Guadadalupe Alexander, a second-year medical student who is also a member of the National Network of Latin American Medical Students, said she was pleased she chose the UT Medical School at Houston for her education.
The vast resources available to students, including peer tutoring, diversity lectures, cultural clubs and a second-year mentoring program, make it a nurturing environment for all students, she said.
"My first-year experience at UT Houston was great and certainly surpassed any of my pre-conceived expectations," Alexander said. "I attribute it to our devoted faculty and the sense of community among the student body. Being of Mexican descent, this sense of family and community is particularly important to me."
There is also the issue of location. Being located in one of the largest and most diverse cities in the country, a metropolis with a significant " and growing " Hispanic population, is an overlooked supplement to medical training, Alexander said.
"Our location, Houston, enhances our medical education through its diverse population and its endless medical resources. As a Latina and a medical student, I want to be able to help the Medically-underserved Hispanic population while simultaneously learning from other cultures. UT-Houston offers that opportunity," Alexander said.
The University of Texas System is well represented in this year's rankings. The University of Texas Soutwestern Medical Center at Dallas Medical School was number one. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Medicine ranked fourth, and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Medicine placed seventh.
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