FRESNO – The UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research (LaCMER) recently received a $75,000 award from the American Honda Foundation (AHF) to support the UCSF Fresno Junior Doctors Academy Program at Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Terronez middle schools. The award will help cover some of the costs associated with providing academic support, uniforms and an interactive, two-week math and science summer camp for eighth grade students enrolled in the Junior Doctors Academy.
“We are truly grateful for American Honda Foundation’s investment in the Junior Doctors Academy,” said Katherine A. Flores, MD, director of the UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research. “This award enables us to continue developing a pipeline of healthcare professionals who will ultimately return to the San Joaquin Valley to provide culturally competent care in our medically underserved region.”
The Junior Doctors Academy, administered by LaCMER, is an academic enrichment program for motivated seventh and eighth grade students who are interested in careers in health and medicine. The purpose of the program is to prepare students for rigorous high school academic work that leads to meeting the admissions requirements of four-year colleges and universities. The program introduces students to colleges and universities and increases their understanding of the qualifications necessary to become competitive applicants to higher educational institutions. In addition, the Junior Doctors Academy increases students’ knowledge of scientific and health related topics relevant to health professional careers. The program also provides workshops for the parents of Junior Doctors Academy students to provide them with helpful information related to their children’s education and career path.
Modeled after the Doctors Academy, which was established in 1999, the Junior Doctors Academy was started in 2000 to provide academic support to middle school students.
“Through grant giving, the American Honda Foundation seeks to develop youth in the areas of math, science, engineering, technology and literacy,” said Alexandra Warnier, manager at American Honda Foundation. “We are proud to partner with the UCSF Fresno Latino Center on its important contribution in this area and look forward to the impact and results that will be achieved.”
Established in 1984, the American Honda Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations that benefit the people of the United States in the areas of youth and scientific education, with a specific focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment. AHF engages in grantmaking that reflects the basic tenets, beliefs and philosophies of Honda companies, which are characterized by the following qualities: imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative. Since its inception, more than $32 million has been awarded to organizations serving approximately 115 million people in every state in the U.S. For more information please visit http://www.foundation.honda.com.
For more information about the UCSF Fresno Latino Center or the Junior Doctors Academy, please call (559) 241-7670 or visit: http://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/latinocenter/index.html
