The 15 White Coats® HBCU Tethered Tour Brought to Dillard University

The Black physician-led group visited Dillard University to inspire students to apply and attend Medical School.

NEW ORLEANS, LA, UNITED STATES, March 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Saturday, the Louisiana-based 15 White Coats^®, a Black physician-led nonprofit dedicated to promoting cultural imagery in learning spaces, providing economic support to minority groups aspiring to be physicians, and promoting culturally appropriate literature access in learning spaces, visited Dillard University with their HBCU Tethered Tour.

The free campus event featured representatives from the 15 White Coats who provides MCAT prep materials, networking, mentorship and scholarship application assistance designed to help students prepare for the medical school application process.

“Inspiring the next generation of physicians is at the heart of The 15 White Coat’s mission. We were thrilled to bring the HBCU Tethered Tour to Dillard University this weekend and see so many inspiring future Black and Brown leaders,” said Lisa Batiste, Executive Director of The 15 White Coats.

“Empowering future Black physicians starts with providing them with mentors who look like them, come from similar backgrounds and can understand their lived experiences. The HBCU Tethered Tour is a critical step in providing the resources and inspiration for the next generation of physicians," said Dr. Sydney Labat, Co-Founder and Vice President of the 15 White Coats.

The HBCU Tethered Tour is an 18-month program powered by Genentech. During this time, 15 White Coats will host or participate in events at HBCUs nationwide. The program aims to support, uplift, and inspire the next generation of underrepresented physicians. The tour brings valuable resources, facilitating important conversations and highlighting mentors in the medical space for Black and Brown students. The 15 White Coats aims to connect, inspire, and prepare these students for a future in medicine.

“I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend the HBCU tethered tour stop and see the incredible work of The 15 White Coats to prepare students for a career in medicine firsthand." Without their leadership, many students would not even consider it a possibility to pursue medicine. – Kayla Hennigan, Dillard Tethered Tour Student Ambassador

Those who wish to join the 15 White Coats in accomplishing its mission can join the 250/50 Impact Circle Initiative, where they can sign up and pledge a $50/month contribution for 12 months. This funding will go towards scholarships, MCAT preparation, and mentorship for students interested in entering the medical field.

KEY STATS:
A 2023 study found that only 5.7% of US doctors are Black.
Following the Supreme Court decision to ban the consideration of race in university admissions, the enrollment of Black students in medical school dropped 11.6% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
In 2024, Black students made up 8.8% of all medical students matriculants, a decrease from the 10% of matriculants in 2023.
Research has shown that when Black patients are cared for by Black physicians, they experience better health outcomes, feel more comfortable and are more likely to adhere to their recommended treatment.
Having a mentor that looks like you is an important benefit to students and has been shown to lower instances of imposter syndrome.

About The 15 White Coats^®:
The Louisiana-based 15 White Coats is a nonprofit launched in 2019 to help the next generation of minority physician aspirants by providing visual inspiration and economic support with hopes of diversifying healthcare for marginalized communities. The organization is named after a photo of 15 African American Tulane University School of Medicine medical students standing in front of a slave quarter at the Whitney plantation in Edgard, Louisiana.

Kesi Lumumba
The 15 White Coats, INC
+1 414-748-0333
15WC@rational360.com
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