DOCTORS ACADEMY STUDENTS HEADED FOR UCSF SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

FRESNO – Approximately 30 high school seniors in the Doctors Academy Program at Sunnyside High School in Fresno are headed to medical school. The students will participate in a one-day special event at the UCSF School of Medicine on Wednesday, April 19 inrecognition of their completion of a rigorous four-year academic preparation program.

During the morning, students will take part in a seminar intended to help college-going students relieve stress and then they will visit a pathology lab. Through the lab experience, students will learn about the ethical values and reverence afforded to individuals who donate their bodies for health science education. In the afternoon, the students will be honored at a recognition luncheon on campus, and they will hear from current medical students.

The group will depart at 5:30 a.m. from Sunnyside High School ( 1019 S. Peach Ave.) in Fresno with arrival expected in San Francisco at 10 a.m. The return trip to Fresno is scheduled for 3 p.m.

This event is sponsored by the UCSF Health Careers Opportunity Program and The California Wellness Foundation.

The Doctors Academy, which is sponsored by the UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research, is geared to students interested in careers in the health professions. The program specifically prepares educationally disadvantaged high school students to become competitive applicants to four-year universities by providing them with a rigorous academic curriculum that includes experiences in research and clinical settings, service learning, and exposure to universities and colleges.

The Doctors Academy is now in its seventh year at Sunnyside High School. Currently, there are approximately 160 students enrolled in the program.

For more information, contact Diana Cantu, Doctors Academy program coordinator at (559) 253-6715 or email [email protected]