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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 |
 There must be a little truth to the old adage that "time
flies when you're having fun!"
For us, it seems like this year's SEP scholars just arrived
on campus - and now they have already departed. For them, however, these last
eight weeks of rigorous academic preparation probably seemed like a lifetime.
As time is accelerating, unfortunately, the same is true for
the rise in health disparities. The expedient nature of time should show us we
should hasten our efforts to develop a diverse health care workforce. I was filled
with pride as I watched this year's scholars depart from their graduation
ceremony with a hopeful gleam in their eyes and pep in their step.
Each year, students converge onto university campuses across
the country eager to strengthen their preparedness for entry into
graduate/health professional programs. Due
to limited availability, they undergo a competitive process for entry into
these pipeline programs. I was reminded this summer that students who may appear
not to be competitive at the time may actually be competitive students in
disguise.
In all the years that I have been selecting participants, the
students that I select with hesitation
end up excelling in the program and continue to do so after completion. How can
this be, you may ask? Well, I wish I had the answer. However, I do know that
students are yearning for us to believe in them. They want to know that we care
and that we are willing to take a chance on them. If we tell them that we have
high expectations of them, they will rise to meet them. I would like to
encourage us to become more open-minded. Let us challenge these young people
but let us also challenge ourselves to see the "whole" student.
Due to the sponsorship support from our various partners,
SEP graduated its largest class in history - 50 students! These scholars are
pursuing careers in various health science disciplines and they come from all across
the state. Although we are excited about the size of this class, we are also
eager to see this number continue to increase because there are so many more
students who need this preparation.
We hope that you will join us in supporting other deserving
students' ability to experience the program. We welcome you to assist us in
preparing for SEP 2009 through recruitment, sponsorship, and mentorship.
Patrena Benton |
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| NC-HCAP Announcements |
NC-HCAP honors the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy with its 2008 Cecil G. Sheps Leadership Award
NC-HCAP presented its 2008 Cecil G. Sheps leadership Award
to the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, recognizing the
school's efforts to diversify its own faculty, staff and students and
ultimately, the pharmacy workforce and for its support of pipeline programs. Dr.
Pamela Joyner, Associate Dean for Professional Education, accepted the award on
behalf of the school and Dean Robert Blouin.
"We are very impressed with the recognition made by Dean
Blouin and the leadership at the pharmacy school that a diverse health care
workforce is a necessity," said Patrena Benton, NC-HCAP director.
"They have not only recognized it, they are demonstrating a commitment to do
something about it."
"We very much would like for our school and for our faculty
to represent the state of North
Carolina in all respects, especially in terms of
demographics," Dean Robert Blouin said.
The pharmacy school supports programs and initiatives that
are structured to expose minority and disadvantaged students to the field, and
it has also created a Director of Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives
position, filled by Carla White Harris, with the specific purpose of
addressing the lack of diversity within the school itself.
For the pharmacy school's leadership, receiving the Leadership
Award is affirmation that their efforts are not in vain.
"We've made an investment; we've made a commitment; and
others have recognized that," Dean Blouin said. "Receiving this award validates
a lot of the things that we believe are important to our school and to our
profession. We are honored to have been selected."
Past recipients of the award are: the Honorable Eva Clayton,
Dr. E. Lavonia Allison, Dr. Robert Thorpe, Larry Keith, Dr. Clay Simpson, the
NC Area Health Education Centers Program, the UNC Office of Minority Affairs,
the NC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, the UNC School of
Dentistry and former UNC Chancellor James Moeser.
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| College Initiatives
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SEP Program Wrap Up
2008 SEP Scholars honored at graduation celebration
The SEP Class of 2008 was honored at a graduation
celebration on Friday, July 11 at the George Watts
Hill Alumni
Center at UNC. Nearly 200
guests, including scholars' family and friends, academic advisors, and SEP
Program sponsors, turned out for the event.
 Keynote addressSEP alumnae Janet Southerland, DDS, MPH, PhD, delivered the keynote
address, advising the scholars to be open to opportunities and to
possibilities, lest their dreams slip away. She encouraged them to stay
positive, noting that "a positive attitude will take you a long way and gives
you the ability to see the future." Finally, she reminded students that
"failure is often the best teacher and that it is up to them what they learn
from it." Dr. Southerland is Chief of the Division of Oral Medicine in the
Department of Dentistry and Chair of the Department of Dentistry at UNC
Hospitals.
Outstanding
Achievement Awards
While all 50 students were recognized for their hard work,
discipline and dedication, additional awards were presented, recognizing those
students who excelled in the program. Recipients of those awards were:
Highest Honors in the SEP Program (awarded to the top 3 students overall) First Place: Fatu Bangura Second Place: Endya Frye Third Place: Stephanie Maxwell Human PhysiologyHighest Honors: Aaron
Locklear; Second Highest Honors: Fatu
Bangura; Most Improved: Stephanie Maxwell
Quantitative Skills/BiostatisticsSecond Highest Honors: Endya Frye; Highest Honors: Li Lisee Thao; Most Improved: Felice Carlton
PhysicsHighest Honors: Endya Frye; Most improved: Phillip Kelly; Best theoretical work in Physics: Stephanie Maxwell
Organic ChemistryHighest Honors: Stephanie Maxwell; Outstanding Scholar from a Non-Chemistry Background: Fatu
Bangura; Most Improved: Namrata Dobaria Congratulations to all scholars on a job well done!
Thank YouSpecial
thanks again to the sponsors, faculty members, program assistants,
mentors, tour coordinators and local helath professions schools and
programs for helping to make the 2008 SEP Program a success. We
couldn't have done it without you!
We hope that you have enjoyed staying abreast of the
scholars' experiences this summer through our newsletter, photo gallery and
student blogs. If you missed our updates, check out the blogs of scholars Tierra Butler, Sunny Darji and Justin Kelly and this year's photo journal.
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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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