The goal of diversifying the physician workforce has been in the forefront of medical education for several decades. Despite this seemingly concerted effort we still do not show a significant increase towards a workforce that reflects the healthcare needs of the diverse population of the United States. Pathway programs have been found to be successful in targeted recruitment of learners into medicine. In this session we will discuss how we can think about the steps involved in developing an admissions process as one element towards the goal of an equitable system of educating physicians. We will also consider some of the shared challenges that programs and participants face towards achieving this goal.
Presenter Bios
Dr. Amiri joined the Robert Larner COM at the University of Vermont in June 2022 as associate dean 
for admissions and assistant professor in Psychiatry. As dean of admissions, she oversees admissions and recruitment for both campuses of the college of medicine. She is a passionate advocate for holistic review in admissions and a strong supporter for students in helping them achieve their academic and professional goals.
Dr. Amiri has spent her career in higher education starting as a peer advisor in the biology department. Over this time she has worked with a variety of students at 7 different institutions as an advisor, faculty member, administrator, and mentor.
In the medical education arena, she has engaged in leadership at the national level the liaison for the Committee on Admissions (COA) for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), member of the AMCAS Advisory Committee, member of the Advancing Holistic Review Initiative, and as an AAMC Holistic Review facilitator working with other medical schools’ admissions committees on how to include holistic review in their process. She just completed a two-year term as Chair of the Combined Bachelor-MD affiliate group and is currently National Chair of the GSA Professional Development Initiative.
Dr. Amiri’s specific research interests focus on the process of student learning with an emphasis in medical education and at transitional times in a student’s academic journey. Her broader area of interest is in human cognition and reasoning.