College of Medicine

August 2014

For the fifth time, the Florida State University College of Medicine has been ranked among the nation’s top 10 for Hispanic students.

This year, Hispanic Business ranked the med school eighth, the same as last year. The college was ranked seventh in 2012, seventh in 2009 and ninth in 2007.

The website annually ranks colleges of business, engineering, law and medicine. (The FSU College of Law was ranked No. 2 this year.) Rankings are based on percentage of Hispanic student enrollment; percentage of Hispanic faculty members; percentage of degrees conferred upon Hispanics; and progressive programs aimed at increasing enrollment of Hispanic students.

“This is a great credit to our Admissions Committee and staff, who work hard to identify incredible students who fit our mission,” said Dean John P. Fogarty. “Students who come here find a welcoming and supportive atmosphere and a sense of family for all students, regardless of race or ethnic origin. We are proud of our success and pleased to be acknowledged once again as a top medical school by Hispanic Business.”

One of those students who found a supportive atmosphere was Alessandra Taylor, a member of the Association of Latino Medical Students.

“The College of Medicine’s support has been essential as I moved from the very diverse city of Orlando to Tallahassee,” said Taylor, president of the Class of 2017 and formerly vice president of ALMS. “Staying true to my origins has kept me grounded and reminded me of why I went into medicine in the first place: to serve the underserved — especially the immigrant community, who suffer unique challenges.

“FSU’s mission aligns with mine, and ever since I started here I was able to nurture my culture and be proud of my background. From the outreach programs’ directors to the dean, everyone has fully committed to ALMS’ work here by standing behind our mission to cultivate and share the beauty of the Latino culture. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for their support.”

Supervised by faculty members, students get hands-on experiences in global medical trips to countries such as Nicaragua and Panama. Others complete medical rotations in high-density Hispanic migrant-worker areas such as Immokalee, and actively participate in service-learning community projects such as rural migrant farmworker and Hispanic festival health fairs. In addition, the school offers conversational and medical Spanish classes as electives.

More than nurturing the students already in medical school, the College of Medicine also reaches out to those who’ve set their sights on it. Some are only in middle school, while others are undergraduates.

“We have started an informal mentoring program, called the Hispanic Student Network,” said Ricardo Gonzalez-Rothi, chair of the college’s Department of Clinical Sciences. “This is for Hispanic FSU undergrads who are interested in medicine. We review with them what they need to know to apply for med school and advise them regarding MCAT tests, shadowing opportunities and so on. One of our Class of 2018 students was in the Hispanic Student Network.”

This is the complete list of medical schools in this year's Hispanic Business Top 10:

1. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
2. University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
3. University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
4. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
5. Baylor College of Medicine (Houston).
6. University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine (Galveston).
7. Stanford University School of Medicine.
8. Florida State University College of Medicine.
9. Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (Miami).
10. University of New Mexico School of Medicine.