June 1, 2004

UCSD’s ‘Healing The Communtiy' Symposium Allows Attendees
To Learn From Physicians, Med Students And Health Experts

By Michael Dabney

More than 230 high school students, undergraduates and parents gathered at the University of California, San Diego recently for UCSD’s first annual Healing the CommunityHealth Sciences Symposium, an event to discuss medical career and health concerns related to San Diego’s African American, Chicano/Latino and Native American communities.

High school students take a break from academic sessions at UCSD's recent Healing the Community Symposium. The symposium attracted more than 230 attendees from San Diego's ethnic minority communites to discuss medical career and health concerns pertaining to these communities.

Termed a success for the quality and scope of its presentations and the number of minority residents it attracted, the May symposium was sponsored by UCSD’s Student Educational Advancement (SEA) of Student Affairs, and the School of Medicine.

At the event, high school and undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in medicine, biological sciences, bioengineering, medical research or health sciences learned from established minority community physicians, medical researchers and UCSD medical students on what it takes to prepare for and succeed in these challenging fields, including medical school.

Panel discussions featuring UCSD science undergraduates also informed high school students of how to choose a college major in the sciences. In addition, a host of health experts from the community were on hand as speakers and information booth participants to advise parents and others on how to achieve a more healthful lifestyle through proper nutrition, exercise and disease risk factor awareness.

“The success of this event demonstrates how UCSD and its community partners can work together to discuss important factors impacting health conditions in minority communities and how residents can begin to make wise health choices and have more and better interactions with the health care system,” says David Artis, Ph.D., director of Academic Enrichment Programs (a unit of Student Educational Advancement) and who
conceived the idea of the Healing the Community symposium concept. “But perhaps more importantly, we hope the knowledge gained by students through this event will help lead to the training of the next generation of physicians, medical researchers, biomedical scientists, bioengineers, pharmacists and other general health care professionals,” he adds.

These key themes were echoed in the event’s keynote addresses delivered by Irma Covarrubias-Lugo, M.D., Kaiser Permanente primary care physician (who spoke on The Importance of Attracting More Minorities Into Medicine) and Richard Butcher, M.D., former president, National Medical Association (who spoke on Challenges – and Solutions – Faced by Minorities in Accessing Better Health and Health Care).

A special highlight of the symposium was a catered luncheon featuring a wide array of healthful cuisine catered by Health Dining of San Diego and its member restaurants, followed by a healthy soul food cooking demonstration courtesy of Rodney Robinson, executive chef of Inn at the Park Restaurant and Park Manor Suites Hotel, San Diego.

Plans are already underway by Student Educational Advancement (SEA) to follow up with students who attended the event by providing them with continued academic and career enrichment. In addition, future symposia modeled after the Healing the Community concept are also envisioned.

“On the heels of this successful symposium, we are planning similar events in the coming months to provide continued support to SEA’s Educational Continuum mission,” says Loren Thompson, assistant vice chancellor, SEA. The Educational Continuum involves developing and carrying out programs to expand college preparation and increase competitive admissibility of K-12 students (including those from low income backgrounds and those who will be the first in their families to attend college), supporting improved academic performance at UCSD, and providing graduate/professional school preparation for our undergraduates.

Media Contact: Michael Dabney, (858) 822-3432