Alpha Omega Alpha in the 21st Century: One School’s Approach

Abstract

Recent data suggest that students from population groups that have been underrepresented in medicine are disproportionately excluded from admission into the national medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA). This finding, in combination with increasing concerns about harmful bias in medical student assessment, has led some medical schools to reexamine their AΩA selection process and/or their relationship with the organization. The Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago formed a task force to study the schools process of choosing students for recognition and to make recommendations regarding this issue.