"Makeup of A Doctor" Series Highlights Importance, Success of College's Partnership with Charles Drew Science Scholars Program

A special feature of content on the College of Human Medicine Office of Admissions website highlights an important partnership, as the college continues to seek beneficial collaborations and pathways to help guide students from disadvantaged, underserved populations to medicine.

The College of Human Medicine Admissions Office has partnered with the Charles Drew Science Scholars Program in the College of Natural Science since 2014. The Medical Preparation Opportunity allows undergraduate students from underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds interested in med school and other pre-health/pre-professional routes the opportunity to participate in preparatory programming, mentoring, and possibly even early assurance pathways. 

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to be underrepresented in medical education. Programs like these help offer equitable access to these pathways and, ultimately, to make medicine more representative.

A number of students have successfully matriculated to medical school among other pre-professional routes. The Makeup of a Doctor series includes several of these stories. Encompassing three separate article pieces, each offers a different and informative perspective on the collaboration. This includes several contributions from a current College of Human Medicine student as well as a recent alumni.  

  • "Turning Plan Into Practice," gives context to how the collaboration came to be. Upon looking to expand the college’s Early Assurance Opportunity (EAO) pathway, the college found in Drew Scholars strong mission-alignment and shared goals, allowing students from underserved and disadvantaged backgrounds to benefit from direct guidance. Along with the history of the program, we touch on what's next for the partnership.
  • Now moving onto her second year of medical school at the College of Human Medicine, Nikita Banghu's journey has been a transition, made smoother by the preparation she received taking part in the partnership for several years prior to matriculating. Nikita discusses in "It Takes a Village," her experience while in Drew and how the partnership set her up for success as a current medical school student.
  • And early participant in the Medical Preparation Opportunity and now a recent graduate of the College of Human Medicine, Deja Rice has a complete view of the partnership's benefits. Looking back on her tough journey, Rice shows in "Graduating Through Adversity," how she was able to connect the dots, with guidance and mentorship at times she needed it most. The partnership was a stepping stone for Dr. Rice to become more than just a physician. 


 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

So You've Been Put On The Waitlist: What's Next?

Image
You've  waited for a decision and word has finally arrived: you've been placed on the waitlist. It's okay for applicants to feel some anxiety when placed as an alternate. That's normal. More uncertainty isn't something an applicant begs to endure. But don't necessarily take it as a bad omen either. More than disappointment, you should have hope. You still have a chance, after all. Considering the sheer number of applicants across the country each year, the truth is that it's actually pretty common to be in this situation. Thousands of accepted students matriculate off the waitlist each year. With only 5-10% of students matriculating from the waitlist at some schools, others accept as high as 50-60% of their incoming class from waitlisted applicants. The question then is, "What should I do now?" Remain Positive Waitlist does not mean rejection. While this isn't ideal, getting your name onto a waitlist is an accomplishment and shows ...
Read more

After Acceptance: A User’s Guide to Preparing for Medical School

Image
The summer before I started medical school at the College of Human Medicine (CHM), I often wondered what I was getting myself into. What will med school be like? What will I learn? Will I be able to keep up? Would I still have a life? Will I embarrass myself in front of a bunch of medical professionals? What don’t I know that I need to know? With (almost) two years of medical school down, I would tell all those who are about to matriculate (along with my past-self) to calm down. Relax. You will learn all that you need to know when you need to know it. You will be able to keep up. It may be hard, but it’s doable. Sure, it can be draining at times, but med school is still incredibly rewarding. You will be pushed, but you will grow. So before you begin classes, the biggest thing you can do before starting med school is prepare while simply enjoying the process. Here are five pieces of advice to help make the transition to med school a bit easier. Relax and enjoy your last s...
Read more

New College of Human Medicine Prerequisite Models Offer A Variety of Pathway Options

Image
It doesn't take a philosophy major to understand that change is constant. Some changes are serious and life-altering; others, not so much. In the world of science, new discoveries and knowledge add foundational context from which the future of medicine must learn to incorporate and adapt.  Higher education communities have raised concerns about whether or not premedical curricula have kept up with these changes; what seemed to work yesterday may not be what works tomorrow . Many medical experts agree that an undergraduate education should not be geared towards only getting students into medical school; instead, these years should be dedicated to creativity within an intellectually stimulating liberal arts education. Congruent with this mindset is the concept that prerequisites (or for that matter any scripted course of undergraduate study) should not be so overwhelming that the applicant seems pressured to emphasize (major in) science in lieu of other academically rigorous...
Read more