It is part of the mission of the UNC School of Medicine to provide access to careers in the health professions to qualified applicants, with a special emphasis upon North Carolinians, regardless of race, gender, religion, or other personal characteristics irrelevant to academic or professional qualifications. The School has an obligation to achieve representation of minorities in the health professions.

The goals of the UNC Center of Excellence are to enhance the academic performance of underrepresented minority (URM) students; strengthen the cultural competence of medical school graduates; recruit and support URM faculty; and support student and faculty research on minority health issues.