The study focused on eight health professions: medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy, and public health. Its central tasks were to identify and explore the barriers to success that women face as medical/professional school applicants and students and to describe the discrimination process that limits women's entry into these professions. The study's purpose was to develop a set of conceptual models of the recruitment, admissions, and education systems to maximize equal opportunities for women and to encourage their success. These efforts were generated by concern over the underrepresentation of women as practitioners in these eight fields, and the suggestion is made that the schools' policies and practices and the professions' structures and histories may help explain this situation. Recommendations are made for legislation concerning health manpower and student financial aid, for criteria or research, policy, and program activities, and for the professional training sequence. (MSE)