Approximately 100 high school and college students had the opportunity to engage with UConn Health faculty, staff, medical, dental and graduate students in a variety of activities to raise awareness about health and biomedical science careers and the admissions process for medical, dental and graduate. the schools.
At UConn Health on October 19, the 2024 Future Health Career Paths Mentoring Conference happily returned in person. As of 2019 the annual event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event was led by Dr. Marja Hurley, UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, professor of orthopedic medicine and surgery and associate dean of Health Career Opportunities Programs.
This year’s conference was hosted by the Department of Health Career Opportunities Programs (HCOP), the UConn Chapters of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), and the National Student Dental Association/Hispanic Dental Association of Students (SNDA/HSDA).
The main speaker was Dr. Nurudeen Osumah, a UConn Health HCOP Pipeline participant and 2022 UConn School of Medicine graduate who is an emergency medicine resident at UConn Health. He spoke to the students about the impact of participating in a variety of UConn Health HCOP prep programs and his personal journey through college and medical school.
Enriching activities at the event for high school students included a Pathway to Success panel with Academy of Physicians students, presentations and interactive activities in medical Spanish, patient history taking, and clinical skills focused on blood pressure, suturing, surgical and lumbar joints. drilling performed by members of LMSA and SNMA.
College students attended a research poster symposium with UConn medical, dental, and graduate student presenters to learn about biomedical research opportunities and an enrichment workshop to learn about the admissions process for UConn’s graduate and medical school programs. offered at UConn Health.
For college students specifically interested in dentistry, a Dental Impressions Workshop led by third-year dental student Jaelon Blandburg and Dr. Gerald Birmingham, assistant clinical professor in General Dentistry and assistant director of the Department of Health Career Opportunities Programs focused on a series of informational sessions that included careers in dentistry and a hands-on dental impression taking activity.
Additionally, college students interested in medicine were engaged in an extravagant session on medical patient history and case study led by Dr.
The college program concluded with a Pathway to Success scholar-athlete panel moderated by Khaoula Ben Haj Frej, a fourth-year medical student, and Jaelon Blandburg, a third-year dental student. Students currently enrolled in the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry shared personal anecdotes, their experience as college student-athletes, progress through their respective schools, and answered questions about their successes and challenges they faced. faced in their journey.
