News from the Southeast Regional Center AHEC

Southeast Regional AHEC Hosts Pre-immersion Week for Jacob Scholars Program Students

This past August, nine incoming freshman Wayne State University College of Nursing students participated in the Jacob Scholars Program Pre-immersion experience. The Pre-immersion experience  included useful activities including socialization to the university study skills, and development of a peer learning community. The students are exposed to community building amongst their cohort, share meals together, and meet several faculty/staff who are from underrepresented or disadvantaged groups. The Jacobs Scholars Program  is a comprehensive student program that employs evidence-based retention strategies (i.e., tutoring, mentoring, financial support, intrusive advising, pre-immersion) to increase the success of nursing students from traditionally underrepresented communities. It helps to diminish the social determinants that impede the successful retention and completion of our nursing program students from underrepresented groups. The WSU College of Nursing considers pre-immersion to be a critical element for setting direct-admit students up for success, and beginning their nursing educational journey with a very strong foundation.

BCAP Summer Program Wraps Up its 7th Year

This summer, 60 local high school students worked virtually alongside clinical and research faculty from Wayne State University to explore clinical, health policy, or basic science research as part of the Biomedical Career Advancement Program (BCAP). BCAP, a four-week research experience for high school students, is a collaborative program between Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM), Michigan Area Health Education Center (MI-AHEC), Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN), and Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD).

BCAP was established in 2014 by Jennell White, PhD.  Dr. White, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at WSU-SOM and is dedicated to exposing youth to careers in health science. Over the summer BCAP students engaged in research, participated in virtual laboratory training and attended remote informational sessions with a focus on the college admission process, careers in health science, and opportunities to build professional networks with peers and Wayne State University faculty and staff. 

Students showcased their research findings during BCAP's virtual closing ceremony on August 6. The presentations allow students to communicate the importance of their research, learn how to clearly state their findings and analyze those findings, and prompt others to ask questions and give valuable feedback. BCAP students are encouraged to enter their research in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS). Sponsored by the U.S. Army Education Outreach Programs, JSHS promotes research and experimentation at the secondary school level and recognizes students for original research achievements.

For more information about BCAP, visit: https://miahec.wayne.edu/southeast/highschool

AHEC Scholars in the News

AHEC Scholars from the UM School of Social Work were featured in the Monroe News on July 27, 2018. The article featured the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living is launching a pilot program open to residents in Monroe County that seeks to aid individuals with disabilities who live independently in their homes. The UM School of Social Work students worked on the pilot as part of their AHEC Scholars curriculum.