Dr. Lynne Holden, associate professor of clinical emergency medicine at Einstein, has made it her mission to attract more minorities into the health case profession. She leads Mentoring in Medicine, a nonprofit organization which recently attracted a record turnout of 1,800 students ― including 1st through 12th graders, as well as college and health professional school students ― to “Yes, I Can Be a Health Care Professional!”, a landmark conference to address the critical shortage of minorities in the health care workforce. The conference, held at Frederick Douglass Academy I, in Harlem on Nov. 22, also attracted parents, educators and nearly 150 health-professional volunteers. 

“In these troubled economic times, the need for more health care professionals is growing,” noted Dr. Holden, who recently received the 2008 Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Diversity Interest Group Visionary Educator Award.  “Many students just do not know about the range of health careers or see them as a viable career option. So, among our goals at Mentoring in Medicine is to address the critical shortage of minority health professionals by finding interested students and helping them to create a strategic plan for success.”

The successful event received a broad range of support, beginning with a healthy breakfast co-sponsored by The American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Farmland Dairies, and Eastside Entrees, as well as conference co-sponsors that included Frederick Douglass Academy I, Montefiore Medical Center, American Dental Education Association, ExploreHealthCareers.org, Manhattan Staten Island Area Health Education Center, and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine.