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AAP News Vol. 13 No. 12 December 1997, p. 10 © 1997 American Academy of Pediatrics
Although blacks, Native Americans, Mexican Americans and mainland Puerto Ricans accounted for about 21 percent of the U.S. population last year, their disproportionately low representation in medical schools has prompted the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) to describe them as "underrepresented minority groups." Underrepresented minorities made up less than 12 percent of last year's newly enrolled medical students. Though analysis of this year's data is not yet complete, preliminary figures show a worrisome trend. While the total number of U.S. medical school applicants declined by 8 percent, the number of underrepresented minority applicants declined by 14 percent.
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