Robert H. Ebert, dean of the Medical School, said yesterday that recruitment of minorities into educational programs is an important responsibility of medical schools.

Ebert spoke at a luncheon sponsored by the Med School to attract financial support for the Roxbury Medical Technical Institute (RMTI), an educational and social service organization.

"The RMTI is a valuable institution with great viability because it arises from a grass-roots effort," Ebert told the 40 guests.

RMTI provides educational opportunities and facilities for disadvantaged students from the Roxbury-Dorchester area. The institute is also attempting to increase the quality and amount of health care in the Roxbury-Dorchester area.

Back Into the Community

Octavius Rowe, executive director of RMTI, said that the function of the institute is to encourage community participation in social services. "RMTI is self-help personified, because it attracts black people back into the community," he said.

At present, only four black doctors are practicing in Roxbury and Dorchester, Rowe said.

The institute's program enables 8 to 18-year-old students to work with educators, students and pre-medical students at Boston hospitals and educational institutions, in order to motivate them to enter the medical profession.

"Many of our students do not see the possibilities because they do not have the proper role models," he said.