ReviewCureus2026
Efficacy of Early Exposure Medical Programs for Underrepresented Students: A Systematic Review.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite decades of initiatives, the physician workforce does not reflect the United States demographic diversity. Underrepresented students are lost at multiple stages of the path to medicine due to academic, financial, and psychosocial barriers, including limited access to ethnoracially concordant role models. Although "pipeline" and "outreach" programs have been implemented, evidence-based evaluation of their effectiveness remains limited.
objectiveTo identify components of early medical exposure programs associated with increased interest in medicine, self-efficacy, and diversity in the medical field.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review of published studies evaluating early medical exposure programs measuring quantitative outcomes. Searches of PubMed, Cochrane, and ScienceDirect were performed for publications from April 1999 to October 2025. Two reviewers independently screened studies, with discrepancies resolved by consensus.
resultsOf 464 studies identified, 24 met inclusion criteria. Mentorship (n=18) and research (n=13) were the common program components, followed by application preparation, observership experience, and subspecialty exposure. High school students were the primary participants (n=14), followed by undergraduates (n=8). Program duration varied from one day to three years, with longer programs associated with improved academic performance and increased higher education. Frequently reported outcomes included further education (n=10), increased biomedical and STEM degrees (n=8), increased interest in medicine (n=7), improved academic performance (n=4), and greater self-efficacy (n=4). Risk of bias was rated as "Low" or "Moderate."
conclusionEarly exposure programs for underrepresented students are associated with increased interest in medicine, improved self-efficacy, reduced perceived barriers, and academic benefits. Mentorship and research emerged as the most prominent components, associated with increased likelihood of further education and the pursuit of biomedical/STEM degrees.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.