In the evolving landscape of American healthcare, one truth has become impossible to ignore: our physician workforce does not reflect the communities it serves. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Latino community. Despite making up nearly 20% of the U.S. population, Latinos account for only 6% of practicing physicians, according to 2023 data from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
For university administrators, this gap presents both a challenge—and a powerful opportunity.
Latino communities experience some of the nation’s most pressing health disparities: higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, lower rates of insurance coverage, and reduced access to culturally competent care. Ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities are one of the most pressing problems in U.S. healthcare. A 2023 report from the National Institutes of Health reported that the total burden of those disparities was $451 billion in 2018, the most recent statistical year available. Hispanic and Latino people bore 21% of that burden, paying an additional $94 billion in healthcare costs.
Research shows that diversity in the physician workforce leads to better health outcomes, especially for underserved populations. When patients see themselves in their healthcare providers—through language, culture, and shared lived experiences—trust increases, communication improves, and health outcomes follow. That means increasing the number of Latino physicians isn’t just about equity; it’s about quality, efficiency, and impact.
University-led pre-medical pipeline programs are uniquely positioned to address the Latino physician shortage. At Tiber Health, we know this because we’ve seen it in action. Our MSMS curriculum was first implemented at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) in Puerto Rico beginning in the 2015–2016 academic year.
In 2023, we published a study in Academic Medicine showing that students who completed the MSMS program and were admitted to medical school performed about as well on the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam Step 1 as did their directly admitted peers. This was in spite of the fact that the MSMS students had lower MCAT scores and undergraduate GPAs when admitted.
The Latino physician shortage is not a distant issue—it is a current and growing threat to public health. By investing in robust, equity-driven pre-med pipeline programs like the Tiber Health MSMS curriculum, universities have the chance to make a measurable difference in the lives of students and the communities they will one day serve.
Universities that invest in Latino pre-medical talent are not only helping address a national crisis—they’re strengthening their academic communities. These students bring resilience, bilingual skills, and a deep understanding of the populations that future healthcare systems will increasingly serve. To explore how your university can make an impact by partnering with a proven MSMS pipeline provider, learn more about Tiber Health now.
