Nearly 2,000 students from across California attended the fourth annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit hosted by Cedars-Sinai on March 12. The event aimed to inspire middle school, high school, and college students to consider careers in healthcare through hands-on activities, mentorship, and panel discussions.
The summit is designed to address the need for greater diversity in medicine and encourage young people to see themselves as future healthcare professionals. Nicole Mitchell, chief diversity, inclusion and wellbeing officer at Cedars-Sinai, said, “We have students here from across the greater Los Angeles area and even as far away as Palm Springs.”
Throughout the day, attendees participated in interactive stations where they practiced surgical suturing, learned about respiratory therapy, examined medical imaging techniques, and extracted DNA from strawberries. Panel discussions featured leaders from medicine, academia, and sports performance who shared their personal journeys into healthcare. Eleven-year-old Marcell Jones of Los Angeles Adventist Academy said his favorite parts were “the strawberry DNA and the breathing practice,” adding that he looks forward to returning next year.
Mitchell emphasized the importance of exposure for young people: “Until young people can actually see it and experience it, it’s hard to imagine yourself in these roles,” she said. “Events like this give students the opportunity to explore what healthcare really looks like—from physicians and nurses to researchers and leadership roles—and hopefully spark a passion that leads them toward a career in the field.”
The summit has grown significantly since its inception with fewer than 100 participants; this year nearly 2,000 registered. Peter L. Slavin, MD, Cedars-Sinai’s president and CEO said: “Programs like this are an important part of our mission to serve the community. By exposing young people to careers in healthcare, we can help inspire the next generation of physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals. At the same time, investing in students today helps ensure we have the skilled and compassionate workforce needed to care for our communities in the future.”
Kennady Ardines of Etiwanda High School noted how representation matters: “It’s not a normal thing to see a Black female doctor,” she said. “I look for a Black doctor even when I go to the doctor because I know they understand me because they are me.” Mitchell added that Cedars-Sinai employees volunteer their time at events like these because “we believe in investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is located in Los Angeles and was founded in 1902. Its current president is Thomas M. Priselac. The hospital includes a pediatric ward and serves as a training hospital; according to their 2022 annual report, more than 50,000 patients were admitted during that year.
