Health Sciences undergrads can explore careers, gain skills at CMSRU's Summer Enrichment Program
Please note this article was published in January of 2013. If you are interested in the recent Premedical Urban Leaders Summer Enrichment (PULSE) program, please visit CMSRU's Diversity website here to find out more.
PULSE provides academic, clinical, research and service learning opportunities with a focus on urban health needs. A full day program, PULSE runs five days per week for six weeks from June 10 through July 19, 2013. Enrollment is limited. Applications must be submitted by March 15, 2013.
The competitive PULSE program is free to accepted students and offers a small stipend. Special consideration is provided to students from urban areas and/or financially disadvantaged backgrounds, but all interested applicants are encouraged to apply. College credit is not offered for PULSE, but students will gain educational enrichment and experiences that could prove invaluable for their future careers.
"PULSE gives undergraduates the opportunity to study with renowned physicians and educators, and also commit part of their summer to medical research or a service learning project," explains CMSRU Associate Dean Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams, MD, who developed and directs PULSE. "Our PULSE students complete the program with enhanced scientific and medical knowledge as well as a new perspective on career opportunities in the field of health and medicine. The benefits for undergrads interested in the medical field are numerous and significant."
Program highlights include coursework in microbiology and pathophysiology, discussions about health, economic and educational disparities affecting urban communities, and a capstone poster symposium in which students present observations on what they learned.
Now in its third year, PULSE also enables students to observe clinical procedures, work with high-tech medical simulation equipment, and take part in a variety of seminars and discussions, from cardiac health and prenatal diagnostics to the benefits of yoga and meditation.
To be eligible, students must complete one year of college with a GPA of at least 3.0. An official transcript and two letters of recommendation from undergraduate professors are also required, as well as one semester of each of the following courses: biology, math, and expository writing or college composition. To learn more about CMSRU's PULSE program, click here.