October 9, 2001
Contact: Steve Townsend, (313) 577-1429, stownsen@med.wayne.edu

PHOTO / FEATURE STORY OPPORTUNITY:

WSU medical students celebrate cultural heritage at annual Ethnic Fair 

Wayne State University rightfully prides itself on its diversity. The university -- its medical school, in particular -- has a longstanding commitment to promoting and celebrating diversity among its faculty, staff and students.

The Association of American Medical Colleges ranks WSU School of Medicine seventh in the nation in number of underrepresented minority graduates, and the school routinely leads the nation, excluding traditional minority schools, in graduating African-American medical students.

WSU medical students will celebrate this diversity on Friday, Oct. 19, at 4:30 p.m., at their annual Ethnic Fair in the cafeteria of Scott Hall.

This event, highlighted by a multicultural variety show, features faculty, staff and students in a colorful array of traditional ethnic dress and the opportunity to sample ethnic dishes. The fair is the kick-off event to the school’s annual Ethnic Week celebration, a week of festivities designed to foster unity among the more than 20 different cultural and ethnic groups represented in the school’s student body.

With more than 1,000 medical students, WSU is among the nation’s largest medical schools. Together with the Detroit Medical Center, the school is a leader in patient care and medical research in a number of areas including cancer, women’s and children’s health and the neurosciences.