March 2008
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Vol 1, Issue 3
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NC-HCAPnews
a monthly update from the
NC Health Careers Access Program
at Chapel Hill
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| The Director's Corner |
 As time quickly marches forward, we are preparing for a busy
and exhilarating spring.
We are excited to hear about the admissions decisions to graduate/health
professional programs that our students are receiving. We rejoice with them and
their families because we know that it is a testament to their hard work and that
their dreams are being fulfilled. This e-newsletter highlights the
announcements that we are aware of to date. It is an exciting time because the
pool of diverse health care practitioners is expanding. We encourage you to
also join us in celebrating because we all will benefit from their presence in
the health care workforce.
As Southern Regional director of the National Association of
Medical Minority Educators, Inc., I am preparing for our joint conference with
the Central Region this month in Charleston,
South Carolina. This year's theme
is "Moving the Agenda: Creating Coalitions, Enhancing Diversity and Ensuring
Academic Success." From there, I will head to Greensboro, North Carolina
for the NC Conference for Health Professions Diversity. This conference will
provide a forum for key stakeholders to discuss strategies for increasing the
diversity of healthcare professionals in the state.
I encourage you to join me at both events so that we along
with so many others can continue this work that is before us. Then, we will see
the list below grow even longer and feel proud that we helped to make dreams
come true not only for these young people but for the many underserved citizens desiring access to adequate health care.
Patrena Benton |
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| NC-HCAP Announcements |
Like so many of you, we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Eve Carson. We offer our most sincere condolences to her family, friends and those in the UNC community who knew and loved her. _____________________________ NC Conference for Health Professions Diversity Join us for the NC Conference for Health Professions Diversity March 31 - April 1 at the Grandover Conference Center in Greensboro, NC. This is a great opportunity for educators, policy makers, healthcare administrators and other key leaders to discuss and formulate strategies to increase the diversity of healthcare professionals in our state. Confirmed and invited speakers include: Dr. Louis Sullivan, Governor Michael Easley, Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue, Senator Richard Burr, Dr. Harold Martin, Jr. and Dr. Karen McNeil-Miller. For registration information, please contact Ms. Terri Glenn at glente@wssu.edu or (336) 750-3487. Sponsored by Winston-Salem State University, NC AHEC Program, UNC School of Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, ECU Brody School of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine and NC-HCAP.
Financial Manager We are currently recruiting a financial manager to oversee
the financial and human resources component of the organization. Position
details can be found on the UNC job listing Web site. |
| Pre-College Initiatives
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 From the Pre-College Coordinator:
After my first two months as a member of the NC-HCAP team, I have had the opportunity to
directly reach 300 pre-college students, exposing them to the wide variety of possible health careers. Two hundred and twenty of those students now identify their intended career field interest as a discipline in the health sciences. They sense the opportunity to give back within the profession and feel they can carve out a place for themselves in
the health professions.
I am excited to be reaching out to North Carolina's promising youth to expose them to health career information, financial aid resources and academic enhancement strategies. If interested in scheduling an HCIE or a customized workshop, please call the NC-HCAP office at (919) 966-2264.
Koyah Rivera
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| College Initiatives
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SEP Program update
SEP is in the process of
reviewing applications and finalizing details for the summer 2008 program.We are so grateful for the continued support
of our partners and their demonstrated commitment to the SEP Program. With their support, we will increase the
number of students in the program this summer as we continue to support the
mission of increasing the number of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds
who are educated, trained and employed in the health professions.
SEP Program hiring faculty and program assistantsWe
are currently recruiting faculty to teach organic chemistry and
quantitative skills/biostatistics and program assistants to assist
faculty in human physiology, organic chemistry, physics and
quantitative skills/biostatistics for the 2008 SEP Program. The 8-week
academic enrichment program will be held at UNC May 17 - July 11. For more information about the open positions, visit our Web site. View the faculty advertisement. View the program assistant advertisement. Interested applicants should contact Paula Borden, associate director & college outreach coordinator, at (919) 966-2264 or pborden@email.unc.edu.  Health on the Block
On Saturday, April 5th, the NC-HCAP Ambassadors will host the 5th
annual Health on the Block community health fair from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Hargraves Center in Carrboro.
The NC-HCAP Ambassadors created " Health on the Block" as
part of an ongoing community engagement effort to educate and empower citizens to adapt
healthier lifestyle behaviors. UNC
student health volunteers and organizations and other local health
organizations will distribute health care information and offer complimentary
hearing/speech, dental care, blood pressure, body mass index, and glauc  oma
screenings as well as general eye examinations. Additionally, area businesses and organizations will
provide free entertainment, food, children's activities, games and prizes. We hope you'll join us in making the 2008 event a success!
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Student Spotlight
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JENNIFER THREATT: Once aspiring attorney now on track toward a medical career
Jennifer Threatt is a communications
studies major who grew up aspiring to be a lawyer. Somehow, the Charlotte, NC
native is now within a year of completing medical school applications.
After gaining acceptance to the University
of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, Threatt immediately decided to follow up on her interest in
medicine and soon learned of NC-HCAP. She then chose to participate in
NC-HCAP's Science Enrichment Preparation (SEP) Program, offered in the summers
to rising juniors and seniors.
While SEP required long hours of studying, she admits
that it has now given her an advantage in some of her classes, noting that
previously seeing the material the professor is covering has been a huge
help. She also says that taking key classes with only 43 other students
was a great way to get real attention from professors.
Threatt credits SEP for providing her with
the confidence she needed to tackle her medical ambitions.
"If I had not participated in SEP, I might not
be on the [pre-medical] track," she said. "I am advocating that
program as much as possible." More _____________________________ Congratulations to the following SEP alumni accepted into health professions schools:
Jada Daniel, SEP 2005 - UNC School of Dentistry
Linda Wansi, SEP 2005 - UNC School of Dentistry
Meka Asbury, SEP 2006 - UNC School of Medicine's Allied Health - Clinical
Laboratory Science Program
Dorian Brown, SEP 2007 - UNC School
of Pharmacy
Bailee Hill, SEP 2007 - UNC School
of Medicine's Allied Health - Radiologic Science Program
Congratulations to former NC-HCAP Ambassador Crystal Hayes who was accepted into dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University, Howard University and Temple University. Watch for additional announcements in the April issue of NC-HCAPnews.
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| Center News
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Center Directors Retreat
NC-HCAP at UNC hosted a retreat for the NC-HCAP directors from Elizabeth City State University, NC Central University and the University of NC at Pembroke on March 6 & 7 at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education. It was a great opportunity to highlight current and past accomplishments and chart the future direction of the organization, collectively and for the respective campuses.
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| Give to NC-HCAP
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Pave the way for a future health professional by giving to NC-HCAP. You may make a gift online or contact Renee Harris directly at rharris@unc.edu or (919) 966-2264. When using Online Giving, please be sure to choose "NC Health Careers Access Program" under the University Designation List, then select "NC Health Careers Access Program (3894) " from the Select a University Fund menu. Or, mail Check or Money Order Payable to "UNC-CH"to:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Office of University Development
PO Box 309
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-9931
PLEASE Write In "Designation #3894 - NC Health Careers Access Program" on the "FOR" line of your check. |
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North Carolina Health Careers Access Program
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Student & Academic Services Building South, Suite 3307
CB #8010
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8010
T: 919-966-2264
F: 919-966-6109
nchcap@email.unc.edu
http://nc-hcap.unc.edu
For editorial comments or questions, contact Renee Harris at rharris@unc.edu.
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