Tulane Urology PIPE program brings dreams of medical careers to life

Of the more than 14,000 practicing urologists in the United States, less than 7% of those physicians are Black or Hispanic. The latest census report from the American Urological Association also found that the median age of practicing urologists is 55, with physicians 65 or older making up the largest age group. To address this disparity and the need for more physicians, the Department of Urology at Tulane University School of Medicine launched the Purposeful Infrastructure Promoting Equality (PIPE) Scholars Program. This initiative aims to inspire students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue medical careers, particularly in urology.  

The program is open to students who have completed two years of college and are interested in studying medicine. Four students have been named PIPE Scholars for 2024: Seema Asim Burhan Abdel-Mageed, who is attending Tulane University; Mahmoud Abdelmagid Mahgoub, a student at Louisiana State University; and Elizabeth Irene Burke and Patience Janae Monroe, students at Xavier University of New Orleans. The students are spending the summer learning basic science research and shadowing urology faculty in the Multispecialty Clinic at Tulane Medical Center.  

Raju Thomas, professor and chair of Tulane Urology, hopes similar programs will be established at medical schools nationwide.  

“It’s vital that we have doctors who reflect the patients we treat,” said Thomas. “Our goal is to bring about a sense of equity not only in medicine, but specifically in the much-needed field of urology.”