A Focus in the Field of Medicine

• Understanding of the qualifications necessary for successful admissions to colleges with strong math, science and research in order to build a successful portfolio for medical school applications;
• Exploration and investigation of the array of careers within the medical profession; and
• Development of academic and professional information in preparation for medical school success.

The Academy is open to rising high school juniors and rising high school seniors with a minimum of a B average and strong letters of reference. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of their application essay, their academic record, and a teacher's letter of recommendation. Acceptance to the Academy is made on a rolling basis. Earlier applications compete for all available slots, whereas later applications compete for limited slots.

• Workshops to help understand the foundations and components of the MCAT.
• Enrichment and study of the medical and health profession through panels, speakers and field trips; connections to medical school students, medical school admissions counselors, and physicians.
• Networking events and student social programming.

The Pre Med Academy brings together highly motivated students to gain a broad understanding of the bench sciences, research, the importance of math, and the nature and future of health issues in society.

• SAT Prep: All of our test preparation courses include skills review, test-taking strategies and tips, practice exercises and simulated tests. Participants will be given a short paper-based assessment to determine individual strengths and weaknesses. Assessment will be based on practice SAT exams.
• Curriculum: The content of the lessons will include critical reading (reading comprehension, sentence completion and paragraph-length critical reading), math (number and operations, algebra and functions, geometry, statistics, probability and data analysis), and writing (grammar, usage, word choice and essay). Post-Assessment will ask participants to write a short paper-based assessment to assist in measuring the participants' improvement. The instructor will meet with each student personally to discuss the results of the assessment. Instructors have extensive background in teaching, tutoring and coaching junior and senior high school students to want to prepare for the PSAT and SAT standardized tests. These sessions will include time in the computer lab to practice on-line as well as become familiar with the College Board website.
• Student Advisement and College Counseling: Essential to the Pre Med Academy is college and Pre Med advisement. This includes: academic advisement, career advice, assistance with researching, identifying and applying to college, understanding undergraduate majors and course selection. Students must develop the navigation skills to identify programs and courses to continue developing and improving. The Academy will also include workshops emphasizing such practical skills as preparing for and taking exams, speaking up in class, taking effective notes, time management and what students should know about making the transition from high school to college to graduate coursework.
• Understanding the MCAT: The MCAT exam is a key determinant in medical school admissions decisions. Adequate MCAT preparation is essential to attaining a high score, a crucial step in securing competitive standing in the medical school admissions process.
• Panels, Speakers and Field Trips: The program combines informative and hands-on seminars by distinguished faculty and physicians providing students a real life view into the pathways to medical school and becoming a physician. The Pre Med Academy provides students with opportunities to visit medical schools, hospitals, and hear from panels of current college students considering medical school, current medical school students, and med school admissions counselors. These opportunities allow students to engage practitioners share their experiences, expectations, and career paths.
• Networking Events: Networking is a good way for students to continue to develop and continue to refine their interpersonal skills. Through building relationships in their areas of interest, students are able to obtain additional information about the paths to medical school, the health profession and internships.

• Genetics and Molecular Biology: Cloning and stem cell research are some of America's highly debated medical topics. Gain an understanding of the basic principles of genetics including structure and function of genes, chromosomes and genomes, biological variation resulting from recombination, mutation and cloning.
• The Impact of Alternative Approaches in Medicine: Introduction to alternative healing systems found in various parts of the world. Eastern medicine, herbal supplements, nutrition and body-mind therapies are explored.
• Life as a Practicing Doctor: Life in a hospital is far more complex than the lives of doctors on Grey's Anatomy. Expect the unexpected as you discover firsthand what an average day for a practicing doctor is like.
• The Human Body: The human body is one of the most complex structures in the world. An introduction to the skeletal, cardiovascular and respiratory systems and the body's need for maintaining homeostasis.
• Introduction to the Immune System—What's Making You Sick?: Understand the structure, function and genetics of the cells within the immune system and the system's role in health and disease. Students will discuss how this complex structure is regulated to protect humans from disease and the important consequences of breakdowns of such immune regulation.
• A History of Medicine: Hippocrates to Pasteur to Salk: The Importance of Innovation in Medicine- Medicine is an ever evolving field. Students will gain a familiarity with the history of medicine and the connections between medicine and society. They will examine the lives of important practitioners, researchers, and philosophers of medicine; understand medicine as part of a wider social context.
• Microbiology Lab Experience: This hands-on seminar introduces students to current NIH initiatives to identity the naturally occurring microbial communities found in different parts of the human body. Students will complete a simplified version of these initiatives in which they grew bacteria from different body parts and performed Gram staining and microscopy with their samples.
• Eye and Heart Dissections: Under the observation and guidance of the college professor and various laboratory aids, students will engage in dissecting a sheep heart and a sheep eye. For the heart topic students will look at prepared slides of blood, measure blood pressure, and listen to their hearts using a stethoscope. The eye topic will be enhanced with some visual perception activities such as illustrating the blind spot and exploring the benefits of binocular vision.
• Emergency Medicine Training- Basic Life Support: What should you do if someone is having a severe allergic reaction to something they ate? How do you stop massive bleeding? Emergency medicine focuses on life saving techniques before the patient steps foot in the hospital. Students will also earn CPR Certification.
• Electrical Muscles?: This course gives students the opportunity to study electrical patterns generated by the contraction of their own muscles. Using an EMG (electromyography), students studied the electrical patterns of their own arm, leg, facial and chest muscles as well as antagonistic muscle pairs, such as biceps and triceps.
• Epidemics and Threats to Public Health: The threat of an epidemic has the ability to cause worldwide hysteria. This session focuses on what medical anthropology is and how it interfaces with cultural anthropology, the political economy, and public health.
• Communication and Building Rapport with Patients: Knowing what is ailing your patients is the essential function of a doctor. Being able to communicate your findings to that patient is also an important aspect of the job. This class will discuss the importance of building rapport with the patient and family members and the importance of verbal and non-verbal cues.

*Course topics are subject to change and all topics mentioned may not be offered at every summer program.