MSU is partnering with Dr. Ben Carson High School in Detroit to give high school students a taste of what the medical profession is all about.
Katie Molina, a counselor in the admissions department of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, started the Future DOcs program last fall to increase children’s interest in the medical field.
Thirty students from the high school took part in the 14-week program and 10 MSU students acted as mentors, Molina said.
In looking for a school to partner with, Molina said Dr. Ben Carson High School was chosen not only because of its proximity to the Detroit Medical Center, but because Dr. Ben Carson himself was an inspiration for many medical students.
She said the high school students now are CPR trained, have learned about human anatomy and visited the Cranbrook Institute of Science.
Brenda Belcher, principal at Dr. Ben Carson High School, said she hopes this program propels students to the next level of education.
“The goal of the program is to increase the number of urban students entering health-related fields and to enhance the potential of high school students gaining skill sets useful in gaining college admission,” she said in an email.
Molina said she hopes to build on the program next year with an eight-week program in the fall for high school freshmen and another eight weeks in the winter for sophomores.
Belcher said that none of this would have happened without help from MSU.
“MSU was an early supporter of the new Ben Carson High School and has developed a robust partnership to support staff members (and guide) students to college and career success,” she said.
Zach White, the assistant director of the program and third-year medical student at MSU, said the goal of the program is to overcome problems, just as Dr. Ben Carson did.
“They are becoming leaders in the community,” he said.
He said the high school students cleaned up a block of Detroit and did another community sevice project with Habitat for Humanity.
White said the program is giving high school students confidence and added that many students didn’t want to leave the program’s commencement after receiving their diploma.
A teacher at Dr. Ben Carson High School told White that one of her students was failing until being accepted into the program, and that she believes the program saves lives.
White said he hopes Future DOcs students learn one lesson.
“You can really do whatever you want to,” he said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
