Tapping Our Youth’s Potential

It’s no secret that we’re facing potential shortages in future health care staffing or that we need a more diverse workforce.

That’s why the health sciences have so many creative pipeline programs designed to engage young people and give them exposure and guidance to careers in these fields.Here are some outstanding examples:

• OACA’s Mini Medical School presents short courses in timely subjects like global health, cancer, and the science of COVID-19. Open to the community, over 300 high school students have attended the past three sessions.
• From undergraduate students to faculty researchers, the Clinical & Translational Science Institute’s Pathways to Research Program (PReP) & Research Education, Training, and Career Development (CTSI-Ed) offer a continuum of career support that aims to develop a diverse workforce by giving young researchers from underrepresented populations training, mentorship, and practical opportunities to advance their research careers.
• Masonic Cancer Center’s M-ASCEND: Advancing Science, Enhancing Diversity introduces 9th and 10th grade students to the science of cancer and to career development skills and opportunities.
• The School of Public Health Division of Biostatistics is working with the St. Paul public high schools to develop new curriculum based on environmental pollution research. Students gain experience with biostatistics, environmental health sciences, and public health.
• The College of Veterinary Medicine offers Vet Camp, interactive education for students in grades 9-12, who are interested in learning about veterinary medicine as a career.
• The College of Pharmacy, Duluth offers Pharm Camp, where students 8-12 get hands-on experience exploring the basics of the science from medicinal herbs to creating ointments.
• The Institute for Engineering in Medicine’s Inspire Conferences bring high school students from across the state together with University experts to engage them in how these professions work together to solve complex problems.
• The Medical School’s Duluth Campus has a long and rich history of offering education, enrichment, and support opportunities for Native American students from kindergarten to graduate school.

As we educate the future generation of health sciences practitioners, researchers, and educators, we need to ensure we are reaching out early and often to include students from across the state in opportunities to learn more about the excitement of health sciences and the career opportunities they offer.