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Youth summit in Glendale encourages students from underrepresented groups to become doctors

An initiative that aims to increase the number of Black men in medicine is coming to the Valley Saturday, Feb. 10.

The youth medical summit called Black Men in White Coats focuses on students in 6th through 12th grades and their parents.

The initiative started in St. Louis in 2013 after a report from the American Medical Society came out, showing the already small number of black men going to medical school was dwindling. 

Shelli Stewart helped organize this weekend’s event in Glendale.

“It’s really geared toward energizing young Black men, and not only Black men, but any underrepresented group into learning more about the medical field, showing other doctors in the field their white coat and giving these students an opportunity to visualize themselves in their own white coat," Stewart said.

Attendees will be able to look at a mock exam room, learn about college prep and listen to panels discuss various topics.

The event is at Midwestern University from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Senior field correspondent Bridget Dowd has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.