Melanin Medics

Founded in 2017, Melanin Medics aims to motivate aspiring medics, current medical students, and medical professionals of African and Caribbean descent to aim higher and attain excellence by highlighting the achievements of African and Caribbean medical professionals. We hope to educate and equip aspiring African and Caribbean current medical students with the knowledge and support needed to pursue careers in the healthcare industry, as well as influence the number of African and Caribbean students pursuing careers in the medical field. Ultimately, our goal is to increase the number of African and Caribbean students being admitted onto Medicine courses nationally and to support prospective African and Caribbean medics on their journey to their chosen medical professions. Moreover, we look to create a thriving, vibrant and influential community of future and current African and Caribbean medical students and medical professionals. According to Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in 2015/2016, only 2.4% of all medical students in the UK were African-Caribbean. The GMC List of Medical Practitioners showed that only 3.2% of UK Registered Medical Practitioners were identified as African-Caribbean in 2017. As a non-profit organisation, we aim to tackle this underrepresentation in medicine through our Mentorship Scheme, Widening Access to Medicine School Outreach, Community Health Outreach, Doctor’s Network, and our events.