The Horizons Program is a medical school immersion and mentorship program located at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine in collaboration with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The mission of Horizons is to utilize the field of medicine to empower inner city teens as learners and
teachers, in order to support their intrinsic motivations to achieve academically. Through a combination of clinical exposure, problem-based learning, role model exposure, self-reflection and the creation of a public service announcement (PSA), this program seeks to help close our nation’s academic achievement gap among students of varying racial and socioeconomic demographics.
Program Description: Horizons is a three-year program for 10th-12th grade students interested in pursuing careers in health care at mc2STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering at Math) High School and Lincoln West High School, public schools within the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Each August, sophomore students are invited to complete an application explaining why they wish to participate in the program, and from this pool, sixteen participants are selected. “Families” of four are created once participants are selected with one first year medical student, one sophomore undergraduate interested in pursuing a career in health care and two 10th grade high school students. These families are maintained throughout the entirety of the 3 year program so that continuous, long-lasting relationships can be formed.
The core curriculum runs once a week on Wednesday afternoons from September to November and January to February. During these sessions, participants shadow medical students and physicians, tour the campus, and learn about specified health including diabetes type 2, sports medicine and heart health, sexual and reproductive health, and the health issues due to drug and alcohol abuse.
As part of their exploration of these health topics, “families” engage in their own inquiry (IQ) teams, learn relevant anatomy, interact with patients, and create a public service announcement (PSA) (see below). The PSA serves as a capstone project in which participants synthesize their knowledge from the previous sessions. These PSAs are then debuted to family members, friends, and University and community representatives at a closing ceremony. Once the core curriculum is completed, monthly mentorship activities are conducted to reunite family members in a more relaxed atmosphere, such as a movie and pizza night, a trip to the School of Medicine’s Doc Opera, and interprofessional events such as a panel discussion with students from each of the health campus schools – medical, dental, nursing, and social work.
The CWRU undergraduate and medical students participate in all of the sessions as well as facilitate specific activities such as anatomy lessons. In addition, the medical students serve as resource for the undergraduates regarding course selection, medical school applications, and the various pathways to a career in health care. Likewise, the undergraduate students serve as a resource to the high school students about college application essays, SAT and ACT exams, and dorm life.
Goals and Objectives: The goal of the Horizons program is to help close the scholastic achievement gap among Cleveland’s youth. By the end of the three-year Horizons program, all high school participants will be able to do the following:
- Identify characteristics, academic requirements and timeline for entry into college and medical school, and evaluate their own progress toward a career in medicine
- Evaluate doctor-patient interactions they observe in the clinical setting
- Evaluate medical student interactions at the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine
- Create a disease profile for three major health topics, using the CWRU School of Medicine inquiry team (IQ) model
- Create public service announcements on the four health topics for a specified audience
- Foster relationships among fellow participants, undergraduate students, medical students, and professionals
teachers, in order to support their intrinsic motivations to achieve academically. Through a combination of clinical exposure, problem-based learning, role model exposure, self-reflection and the creation of a public service announcement (PSA), this program seeks to help close our nation’s academic achievement gap among students of varying racial and socioeconomic demographics.
Program Description: Horizons is a three-year program for 10th-12th grade students interested in pursuing careers in health care at mc2STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering at Math) High School and Lincoln West High School, public schools within the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Each August, sophomore students are invited to complete an application explaining why they wish to participate in the program, and from this pool, sixteen participants are selected. “Families” of four are created once participants are selected with one first year medical student, one sophomore undergraduate interested in pursuing a career in health care and two 10th grade high school students. These families are maintained throughout the entirety of the 3 year program so that continuous, long-lasting relationships can be formed.
The core curriculum runs once a week on Wednesday afternoons from September to November and January to February. During these sessions, participants shadow medical students and physicians, tour the campus, and learn about specified health including diabetes type 2, sports medicine and heart health, sexual and reproductive health, and the health issues due to drug and alcohol abuse.
As part of their exploration of these health topics, “families” engage in their own inquiry (IQ) teams, learn relevant anatomy, interact with patients, and create a public service announcement (PSA) (see below). The PSA serves as a capstone project in which participants synthesize their knowledge from the previous sessions. These PSAs are then debuted to family members, friends, and University and community representatives at a closing ceremony. Once the core curriculum is completed, monthly mentorship activities are conducted to reunite family members in a more relaxed atmosphere, such as a movie and pizza night, a trip to the School of Medicine’s Doc Opera, and interprofessional events such as a panel discussion with students from each of the health campus schools – medical, dental, nursing, and social work.
The CWRU undergraduate and medical students participate in all of the sessions as well as facilitate specific activities such as anatomy lessons. In addition, the medical students serve as resource for the undergraduates regarding course selection, medical school applications, and the various pathways to a career in health care. Likewise, the undergraduate students serve as a resource to the high school students about college application essays, SAT and ACT exams, and dorm life.
Goals and Objectives: The goal of the Horizons program is to help close the scholastic achievement gap among Cleveland’s youth. By the end of the three-year Horizons program, all high school participants will be able to do the following:
- Identify characteristics, academic requirements and timeline for entry into college and medical school, and evaluate their own progress toward a career in medicine
- Evaluate doctor-patient interactions they observe in the clinical setting
- Evaluate medical student interactions at the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine
- Create a disease profile for three major health topics, using the CWRU School of Medicine inquiry team (IQ) model
- Create public service announcements on the four health topics for a specified audience
- Foster relationships among fellow participants, undergraduate students, medical students, and professionals