The number of first-year Black medical students has dropped sharply in Texas, new data shows.

Why it matters: Students who represent minority populations are more likely to provide better care for those populations when they become doctors, Chinwe Efuribe, a Hutto pediatrician who runs mentoring programs with the Austin Black Physicians Association, told Axios.

What they're saying: "We're more likely to be working in the community, more likely to participate in community health fairs and more likely to be involved in relationship building — and that leads to increased life expectancy and better health outcomes generally," Efuribe said.

• Doctors from similar backgrounds might have a better sense of what questions to ask patients and what cultural factors are at play with health challenges, Efuribe said.

By the numbers: There are 195 Black medical students in Texas this year, down from 248 at the start of the 2021-22 academic year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which has collected data on this topic since 1978.

• Less than 10% of Texas medical students are Black. By comparison, 13.6% of the state population is Black.

Yes, but: Black medical student enrollment at Baylor College's School of Medicine in Houston increased from 46 out of 721 students (6.4%) in 2021-2022 to 64 out of 831 students (7.7%) in 2024-2025.

Flashback: Baylor College of Medicine established pipeline programs with its affiliated schools to attract and recruit more students of color. In 2020, School of Medicine Dean Jennifer Christner emphasized the importance of a diverse physician workforce.

• "Patients who have doctors who look like them tend to follow advice more and can be healthier," Christner said.

Zoom out: Medical school student enrollment is also down nationally, following the Supreme Court decision to strike down affirmative action in higher education.

Between the lines: The decline in Black medical school enrollment highlights how policies addressing systemic inequality aren't deeply embedded, as their removal quickly affects admissions, said Israel Herndon, a UT graduate researcher in African and African Diaspora Studies.

Dig deeper

The mortality rate for Black mothers in the U.S. has not improved, per data released earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why it matters: The pregnancy-related death rate for Black women is more than three times the rate for mothers of other racial and ethnic groups.

Catch up quick: Maternal mortality in Texas rose faster than the national rate from 2019 to 2022, with a sharp increase following the state's abortion ban.

The fine print: The rate for Black women dying from pregnancy-related causes from 2022 to 2023 did not increase a statistically significant amount, the CDC says, but it's the only rate for a race or ethnic group tracked in the report that didn't appear to decline.

What they're saying: "There's implicit bias" when you're a Black patient and you have a non-Black provider, says LaTasha Seliby Perkins, an assistant professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Full story

📹 A video circulating the Texas Capitol allegedly shows children aiding in a massive scheme to game the Texas Lotto. (Houston Chronicle)

✈️ Southwest Airlines plans to lay off more than 1,700 workers, or 15% of its workforce. (Houston Public Media)

🦦 The Houston Zoo will close its Carruth Natural Encounters building in March after determining the building's infrastructure no longer meets the needs of animals house there. (Community Impact)

An Arctic blast will bring bitter cold to Southeast Texas this week.

Why it matters: The weather has prompted an extreme cold watch from the National Weather Service on Thursday morning for much of Greater Houston.

• The city is also opening warming centers for vulnerable individuals.

Driving the news: Following some overnight rainfall, a front will usher in clear skies and cooler temperatures Wednesday, NWS Houston meteorologists say.

Threat level: The coldest air will hit the Houston metro early Thursday morning, dipping just below freezing with wind chill temperatures near 20 degrees.

• Communities north of Houston could see even colder temperatures.

Zoom out: The cold weather is part of a larger Arctic blast sweeping the country, which is poised to break dozens of cold-weather records.

• The outbreak is consistent with events that some studies have shown to be more likely due to rapid Arctic climate change.

What's next: After Thursday, temperatures in Houston will fluctuate in the 30s and 40s until Sunday, when it will reach the low 60s by midday.

👋 Shafaq here! I took a leisurely walk this weekend around Cullinan Park, a beautiful nature preserve in Sugar Land. The crisp weather made it a perfect day to be outside.

At the observation deck overlooking the water, I spotted some birds. I usually take the point-and-appreciate approach, but a couple were close enough for me to try to identify through the Merlin app. To my excitement, it worked.

An older gentleman behind me then struck up a conversation, telling me more about the long-legged limpkin. He then helped me easily identify a common gallinule and an American coot.

The intrigue: I've frequented this park over the years. But a quick conversation with the man, who says he visits routinely, gave me deeper insight.

• When I go next with some friends, I can point to the same birds, sharing how I learned about them.

What they're saying: "I'm retired. I'm old and know things from living. But people don't learn these things anymore. People are afraid of nature," he told me.

• He went on to tell me about the wild hogs, snakes and alligators in the park, reminding me not to worry and just leave them be.

The bottom line: Conversations beyond a screen can bring unexpected wisdom and delights.