Tennessee Recruitment to Increase Under Represented Minorities into Professions of
Health (TRIUMPH)
Racial and ethnic minority groups account for over 40% of the U.S. population; yet
the percentages for students enrolled in the combined PT, OT, and SLP graduate health
programs at UTHSC is less than 5%.5 Diverse health professionals are essential to
the reduction of health disparities. TRIUMPH will address the lack of diversity in
the health professions of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech language
pathology by creating structured relationships between the University of Tennessee
Knoxville and University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Health Profession
advisors; resources to underrepresented groups to improve transparency of graduate
school admissions process; opportunities to improve GRE test taking skills; advising
appointments with profession-related faculty; recruitment of diverse faculty and alumni
to serve as mentors during undergraduate education; financial assistance for entrance
exams, application fees, and scholarships.
We intend to address the lack of diversity in healthcare through the development
of a program we have named TRIUMPH- the Tennessee Recruitment to Increase Underrepresented
Minorities into Professions of Health.
This program is designed to create a UT system program that will serve as a pipeline
to increase URM admissions from UT Knox into the PT, OT, and SLP programs here at
UTHSC. It will offer academic, social and financial support, but most importantly
mentoring as it has been found to be beneficial in the successful transition of undergraduates
interested in health care into health-related graduate programs.
Aim: Create a UT system mentoring program to serve as a pathway to increase underrepresented
group admissions from the University of Tennessee Knoxville into the physical therapy,
occupational therapy, and speech language pathology programs at the University of
Tennessee Health Science Center.
