Twenty-six promising students, surrounded by family and friends, celebrated their graduation as Silas Norman Medical Scholars during a Aug. 2 ceremony conducted at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, on their way to careers in medicine.

The SINORMS program, launched in 2019, immerses Black junior high schoolers in sixth through ninth grades in the field of medicine by having them attend a summer academy and monthly workshops, where they interact with physicians, medical researchers, other health professionals and medical students who look like they do. Students who enter the program may continue in it through high school graduation.

A partnership between Wayne State University and the Black United Fund, the program addresses the need for more underserved and underrepresented Americans in the field of medicine by nurturing the academic interests of young students. The program is named for Silas Norman Jr., M.D., who graduated from the School of Medicine in 1976 and later served as associate dean for Admissions and then associate dean of Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Norman died in 2015.

More than 150 students have participated in the program since its launch.

Kenneth Donaldson, president and chief executive officer of the BUF, told the students they are needed in medicine.

“It almost brings tears to my eyes to see how far this program has come,” Donaldson said. “We had more Black physicians 50 years ago than we do now. That makes no sense. I look forward to seeing you in the future helping other people.”

Two SINORMS scholars from the very first cohort, Adanna Nwamba and Jorden Harris, served as emcees for the event. Nwamba, class valedictorian at Cass Technical High School, has been enrolled in WSU’s Med-Direct program, which offers full tuition and room and board for the undergraduate program, and full tuition to the School of Medicine.

“I am proud to call myself a future pediatrician who will address health disparities in this beautiful city of Detroit,” she said.

Harris, who will attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, developed his interest in medicine early, after experiencing his mother recover from brain surgery and his grandparents battle cancer. He noted that only about six percent of the nation’s physician are Black doctors. He plans to add to their ranks by becoming a radiation oncologist.

President Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D., said that one-third of WSU students study the health professions, supporting a key pillar of the university’s Prosperity Agenda, which includes empowering the health of the community.

“There is a critical need for you in the profession and in our community. The SINORMS program symbolizes our commitment to inclusive excellence.,” Espy told the students. “I look forward to what comes next for all of you. I would like nothing more than to welcome you in a few years at convocation and later graduation.”

Ava Buckner, a previous SINORMS scholar, and her mother, Calida Buckner, testified to the many benefits of the program.

Ava, who plans to become a pediatrician oncologist, said she is on the path to apply for WSU’s Med-Direct program, and SINORMS helped get her on that path. 

“I worked with and was mentored by people who look like me and who want to change the world like me,” she said. The program also allowed her to hone her leadership skills when she was selected to serve as an assistant teacher.

The program “changed my daughter’s life,” said Calida, with firsthand experiences, responsibility and structure.

In addition to his many duties with the School of Medicine, Dr. Norman served as a consultant to the Detroit Health Care for the Homeless project and the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, working to see that thousands of uninsured and underserved people received much-needed health care. He chaired the Detroit-based Community Health Awareness Group, an organization dedicated to supporting people affected by and infected with HIV and AIDS. His commitment to social and humanistic medicine also led him to serve as chief medical officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections and medical director for the Wayne County Jail.

Before coming to Michigan, Dr. Norman served as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the south during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, convincing African Americans to register and to vote.

“Dr. Norman was a graduate of our School of Medicine and a longtime member of the faculty. But more than that, he was a man of great courage, a driving force for diversity, fairness and compassion for the underserved,” Dean Sakr said. “In many ways, Dr. Norman helped shape our School of Medicine. There are many hundreds of people who will never forget his contributions to their success in medical school and in life. We were very fortunate to work beside just such a giant in Dr. Norman. He was a gentle man, with a caring soul, but unafraid to stand up for others and to battle for what he believed was just and right. All of us would do well to model our lives on his courageousness.”