K-12 Outreach Initiatives

The Colorado Rural Health Scholars Program was designed by a former medical student to introduce economically disadvantaged rural high school students to health science careers. Currently directed by first-year medical students, this intensive summer program brings minority or economically disadvantaged rural high school students to the School of Medicine to understand the full range of options when considering the health professions as a career. These options include clinicians, researchers, and academicians. During the five-week program, twenty students per year participate in classes and laboratory experiences at the School during the day, attend evening seminars and work at volunteer clinical experiences within University Hospital. All students selected for the program receive a full scholarship, including tuition, books, classroom fees, and room and board. The high school student to medical student ratio is about 2:1.

Our Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Health Institute annually accepts 100 high school juniors and seniors from across Colorado to focus on community-based, primary health care career options. It begins with an intense two-week summer experience where week one is spent in the regional AHEC community and week two is split between the University of Colorado campus in Boulder and the Health Sciences Center campus in Denver. In addition to emphasizing applications of the basic sciences, computer and mathematics, students participate in hands-on laboratory exercises. The summer experience culminates with each student shadowing a health care provider through part of a day's routine activities in a hospital or clinic setting. When students return to their regional AHEC communities, some opportunities exist for placement in a rural jobs program which offers the student a chance for a paid-work experience in a local health care facility. To support the development of local mentoring relationships, the Colorado AHEC Health Institute project is expanding its interaction with participating students by planning informal meetings with students, parents, and school counselors conducted over the Internet or the state's two-way, interactive audio/video network where rural residents can interact with medical and physical therapy students and faculty, community preceptors and civic leaders.

The School has hosted multiple K-12 outreach programs, last year serving over 1100 pre-college students and K-12 teachers on campus. One shining example of a program developed by a faculty member several years ago is the Colorado/Wyoming Junior Academy of Sciences annual Spring seminar. Over 400 high school students representing two dozen high schools are exposed to careers in the health professions, cutting edge research, molecular biology, clinical sciences, neurosciences and working biomedical scientists and clinicians.

The Nutrition Center partners with Denver Public Schools Student Services in the development of a Comprehensive Health Initiative and collaborates with the Denver School Based Health Centers. In partnership with the CU Cancer Center and other community funders, the School's Center for Human Nutrition manages the Seeds for Health program, which targets Colorado 3rd graders for its "5 a Day" program. Follow up is done in their 4th grade year to see if students remember what they were taught the year before. Other major outreach initiatives include community nutrition education programs in metropolitan Denver and collaborative programs to develop the Colorado Nutrition Network, the goal of which is to provide nutrition education for Medicaid recipients.

The School and Denver Public Schools, together with its affiliated hospital partners The Children's Hospital and Denver Health support Denver School- Based Health Centers located in seven Denver high schools, three Denver middle schools, and three Denver elementary schools. These centers were designed by School faculty to increase access to primary health care for underserved children. The program also involves the family in counseling services and helps direct pregnant girls into prenatal care. This national model program provides technical assistance and resources to many programs throughout the country.

Summer Cancer Fellowships provide opportunities for nearly 100 high school students and college undergraduates to work in the School's research laboratories and clinics during summer months. Funded by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society Colorado Division, many of the "summer fellows" are underrepresented minorities.

Please see the Cancer Center Education Page for more opportunities.

Each year School employees team with those from University Hospital and other schools on campus to host a student "shadow" day in its Day on Campus program. Students from neighboring Gove Middle School pair up with a faculty or staff member and experience a day in the life of health care. Subsequently, many community youths have expressed an interest in a career in one of the health care professions. The Stay in School scholarship program provides ten deserving students with a $1000 scholarhip to be used for expenses during high school. Also, a Students for Students tutoring program teams medical students with Gove middle school students to help younger students improve their reading skills and develop organized learning habits while increasing self-esteem through positive reinforcement. Finally, the Partnership in Prevention program pairs medical students and other professional students at the Health Sciences Center with at-risk children at Gove Middle School to act as mentors and provide a positive, older influence.

The School's High School Teachers Research Residency program is designed to recruit minority students into science and medical careers through providing intensive summer training of teachers who teach in schools with high populations of minorities or who themselves are members of a minority group.

Medical students educate 5th graders about the dangers of tobacco through the Tar Wars program sponsored by the American Medical Student Association's chapter. The campus Student Ambassador Program provides community outreach through campus-guided tours for interested groups as well as sending medical student speakers out to area schools and science fairs for on-site presentations. This effort supports and educates K-12 students and teachers interested in the basic sciences and the many aspects of health care. Students can even "ask a question".