Invitation to submit a proposal for a concurrent session symposia and/or poster display

2007 Texas AHECs Health Workforce Diversity Regional Conferences

February 5, 2007	Dallas	March 6, 2007	Lubbock
April 19, 2007	Austin	May 4, 2007	El Paso
June 12, 2007	Houston	July 12-13, 2007	McAllen

The East Texas Area Health Education Center (AHEC), West Texas AHEC and the South Texas AHEC have been awarded a Minority Health Research grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to sponsor six regional conferences to promote diversity in health workforce education by positively impacting the work of increasing the number of students from under represented groups by:

Fostering collaboration between students/practitioners/employers/community organizations and faculty in all aspects of becoming a health professional;
Maximizing interactions and partnerships between primary (including grade/middle/high schools) and secondary education (community colleges and universities, academic health science centers) and employers;
Supporting the exchange of ideas regarding specific populations, disciplines and topics of special interest;
Addressing the needs of under represented students as well as community stakeholders in the education and health workforce arenas.

Each of the Texas AHEC programs has regional centers that provide a state network to improve the supply, quality and distribution of the health workforce and improve the health of communities. Individually and as part of a nationwide network, Texas AHECs connect students to careers, professionals to communities and communities to better health.

In 2004-2005 the Texas AHEC Planning and Evaluation Council undertook a project to identify the causes that contribute to the health disparities in Texas. One of the most outstanding issues the Council noted was the lack of a steady stream of diverse enrollees into health professions training programs. It was not surprising that we observed that under represented minority and disadvantaged rural and inner city populations not only face barriers related to poverty, but they also face additional educational and cultural barriers to finishing their education and entering the health workforce.

The major obstacles in improving the diversity of students in all health-related areas are identified in sections D, E and F of the enclosed presentation checklist, and are the main thrust in the planning of the 2007 Diversity in Health Professions: Regional Conferences.

We invite you to submit a proposal for one or more concurrent sessions in one or more cities; deadlines for receiving abstracts are:

Dallas conference	Friday, November 10 @ 5PM
Lubbock conference	Friday, January 26 @ 5PM
Austin conference	Friday, January 26 @ 5PM
El Paso conference	Friday, March 16 @ 5PM
Houston conference	Thursday, March 1 @ 5PM
McAllen conference	Friday, April 13 @ 5PM