SNMA History

The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) was founded in 1964 as a sub-division of the National Medical Association (NMA), largely through the effort and support of W. Montague Cobb, MD, an NMA member (and, later, NMA President), who spearheaded the initiative to include medical students in the association's ranks. NMA recognized the need to give active support to medical students and encourage them in the pursuit of careers as physicians. The SNMA's founding chapters were Meharry Medical College and Howard University College of Medicine.

DIVERSIFYING THE FACE OF MEDICINE SINCE 1964

SNMA chapters based at allopathic and osteopathic medical schools throughout the nation, and some colleges, implement our programs and activities locally. SNMA programs are designed to serve the health needs of underserved communities and communities of color. In addition, SNMA is dedicated both to ensuring that medical education and services are culturally sensitive to the needs of diverse populations and to increasing the number of African-American, Latino, and other students of color entering and completing medical school.

Goals of SNMA

• To serve as a credible and accurate source of information relevant to minority issues in the field of medical education.
• To encourage and foster the development of minority faculty in order to increase the presence of minority mentors and biomedical researchers in academic health centers.
• To evaluate and cultivate the necessary measures to eradicate practices in the field of health profession education that compromises the goal of providing quality education to minorities and women.

For more information on SNMA and its initiatives, head to the SNMA National Website