Newspaper Page Text
Page 2
SUMMER MAGAZINE 1984
OHP Summer Program Is 10 Years
Thomas Blocker
Cross-section of Summer ’84 participants
The V.I.P.’s were there, too.
“Our main role is to increase the pool
of competitive minority applicants for
health professional schools,” stated
Thomas Blocker, director of the Health
Careers Summer Enrichment Program at
Morehouse College. “We have just
completed our tenth year and the quality
of students enrolled in the eight week
program continues to be very good.”
Begun in 1975 under the direction of
Dr. Joseph N. Gayles, currently on the
faculty at the Morehouse School of
Medicine, the Summer Enrichment
Program has produced 65 students who
have been admitted to medical and dental
schools throughout the United States.
Consequently the Fall of 1979 was the first
time students could have entered medical
or dental schools after participation in the
program. In total, 182 Morehouse
students have entered medical or dental
school since the Fall of 1979.
The Health Careers Summer Enrich
ment Program, according to Blocker,
began wwith 14 pre-freshman students,
and was supported by a $30,000 grant from
the Health Resources Administration.
During the Summer of 1976, the pre
freshman program was increased to 25
students and a post-freshman component
with 25 students was initiated. This time
the funds totaling $471,000 came in from
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Over the past nine years, more than 400
students have participated in the ex
perience. This year, a grant of $327,000
from the Health .Careers Opportunity
Program helped to fund the program,” he
pointed out.
Blocker remarked that "one of the
major aims of the program this year was to
provide an intensive eight-week educa
tion enrichment experience that would
enhance the preparation of pre-freshman
students, so they will succeed in the pre
health professions curriculum at
Morehouse College. The program con
sisted of course work, counseling,
seminars, field trips, and recreational
activities. Our efforts were geared toward
strengthening the basic science, a
mathematics preparation of the students,
reinforcing their writing, reading, note
taking, and study skills, providing career
information and personal counseling
needed for successful adjustment to a
collegiate environment, and providing
biomedical and health careers seminars
designed to increase the awareness of
health career opportunities.”
Students received instruction in
English, Reading, Precalculus, Biology,
Chemistry, Computer Science, and
Biomedical Research.
“As a part of the Summer Program, we
pre- and post-test participants,” stated
Blocker. He added, “We are presently
using standardized achievement ex
aminations from The College Board in
New York through their special program
called Multiple Assessment Programs and
Services. In addition, we are using the
latest edition of the Nelson - Denny
Reading Exam and a special Problem
Solving and Analytical Reasoning Exam
developed by Dr. Arthur Whimbey based
on the Second edition of his book. We
also use local Educational Testing Service
consultants to work with the faculty and
staff members of the program.”
Applicants for the Summer program
were selected from the pool of students
who sought admission to Morehouse
College. Additionally, Morehouse
College has very active Alumni Chapters
in most of the major cities throughout the
United States, who referred some
students. This year participants came from
as far away as California in the West and
Massachusetts in the North.
Blocker stated, “We are presently
conducting a ten year study but early data
tends to support at least three con
clusions: (1) Summer Program students
tend to do very well their freshman year,
often leading their classes in mathematics
and biology; (2) Summer Program
students are more likely to graduate from
Morehouse even if they change from a
health career to another career; and (3)
they are among some of the top science
graduates each year and most receive
offers from the top medical and dental
schools in the United States.”
MOREHOUSE STUDENTS ACCEPTED INTO MEDICAL AND DENTAL SCHOOLS 1971-1982
NUMBER
OF
STUDENTS
□ MEDICAL SCHOOL ACCEPTEES
■ DENTAL SCHOOL ACCEPTEES
MSM Wins Grady Hospital Affiliation
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)
has negotiated an agreement with Emory
University School of Medicine which
provides for MSM students and faculty to
have full access to the educational
programs of Atlanta’s Grady Memorial
Hospital.
The agreement was announced at a
news conference at Grady held jointly by
Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, MSM president and
dean, and Dr. Charles R. Hatcher, vice
president for health affairs at Emory
University School of Medicine and direc
tor of the Woodruff Medical Center.
Also in attendance at the news con
ference were Dr. Michael Lomax of the
Fulton County Commission, Dr. George
Brumley, interim dean at Emory's medical
school, J. W. Pinkston, Jr., executive
director of Grady Hospital and Dr. Asa
Yancey, medical director of Grady
Hospital.
The accord signed by Drs. Hatcher and
Sullivan stated: "The Morehouse School
of Medicine and Emory University School
of Medicine support the concept that the
contract between the commissioners of
Fulton and DeKalb Counties and the
Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority should
acknowledge the participation in
teaching programs at Grady Memorial
Hospital by both medical schools.” The
two county commissions allocate funds to
help finance Grady’s operations.
Under the agreement, Emory will
continue to supervise Grady’s residency
programs and be responsible ad
ministratively for patient care.
Morehouse faculty, however, will receive
full "active staff” privileges. Moreover, as
part of a previous agreement between the
two schools, Emory will offer fourth-year
clinical electives to MSM students begin
ning the 1984-85 academic year.
"At Morehouse, we look forward to the
enrichment of our program in medical
education which this new relationship
makes possible as we proceed with our
development into a four-year M.D.
degree-granting institution,” Sullivan said
in a separate statement. “Morehouse also
looks forward to contributing its time,
talents and other resources for the
improvement of patient care and patient
services at Grady, as well as complemen
ting Emory’s fine educational programs.”
He praised Hatcher and the Emory
medical school saying, “I am personally
grateful to Dr. CharlesHatcherforhisfine
spirit of cooperation and support, and to
the faculty and staff of Emory medical
school.”
Sullivan also thanked Commissioner
Lomax and his fellow commissioners for
the support as well as members of the
Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority.
“Working together,” Sullivan said,
“Morehouse and Emory medical schools
are forging new relationships which will
be mutually beneficial and will contribute
to the improvement of educational
programs and patient care at Grady
Hospital, to serve citizens of Fulton and
DeKalb Counties.”