The Pursuit of Training Meritorious Learners of Diverse Backgrounds

The doors of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MCCMS) are open to all meritorious learners, including learners who come from communities that have endured longstanding and profound health and economic disparities. In our contemporary world, upward mobility in socioeconomic status is often a function of successful attainment of higher education. One may justifiably ask if all sociodemographic groups in the United States have equal access to higher education so they can gain knowledge and acquire skill sets often necessary to lead a productive life. Several biopsychosocial factors may determine as to whether those that see the "mountain" of higher education at a distance will eventually succeed at surmounting obstacles to rise to the highest peaks. In this article, our earlier experiences are analyzed with the goal of offering insights into novel approaches to train meritorious learners from all sociodemographic groups, including those who come from underserved communities. In addition, we highlight an apolitical and academically rigorous social cognition model that informs the contemporary academic agenda of diversity and inclusion, and we trace its root to the work of the founding father of experimental social psychology.