The purpose of this study was to explore the key characteristics of learning communities and how they have impacted student success for academically diverse learners in an undergraduate medical environment. The study was conducted at two minority serving institutions regarded for their social mission and ability to provide a critical mass of African American physicians to address a multitude of health disparities in underserved communities. The guiding questions for this research were as follows: What is the nature of the relationship between mentoring and varied aspects of learning communities and the success of students at historically black medical schools? What, if any, is the effect and correlation of learning communities to student outcomes at a historically black medical school? [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]