Community Health Practicum brings students face-to-face with state legislators

More than 30 aspiring medical students from The University of Akron are participating in the Community Health Practicum at the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM). Now in its 34th year, the practicum brings together second-year students in the University's accelerated B.S./M.D. degree program to investigate and offer solutions for an identified community health problem. The final step is to participate in a mock hearing in front of state-level legislators.

Aspiring medical students from The University of Akron participated in a practicum that brings together second-year students in the University's accelerated B.S./M.D. degree program to investigate and offer solutions for an identified community health problem.

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Since mid-June, the UA students, along with students from Kent State University and Youngstown State University, have traveled to the Rootstown campus once a week to study a range of topics, including childhood obesity, vaccine practices for the elderly, incarceration of persons with mental illness, bicycle injuries and binge drinking in college-age students. The Community Health Practicum gives students the opportunity to study literature and develop a research paper outlining a specific topic, including factors affecting the problems and proposed solutions.

The seven-week program concluded July 23, with student groups presenting solutions for the community health problems in the form of proposals to a panel of state legislators for mock funding. This year's panel included:

• State Senators Shirley Smith, Tom Sawyer and Joseph Schiavoni;
• State Representatives Stephen Dyer and Mike Moran;
• former State Senators Harry Meshel and Grace Drake; and
• former State Rep. Kathleen Chandler.

UA faculty members collaborated with those from partner universities and NEOUCOM to work with students throughout the duration of the course, developing a paper that describes the epidemiology of the problems, a review of the literature and proposed solutions.

NEOUCOM has the oldest accelerated, combined degree program in the state of Ohio, and one of only 18 accelerated programs in the nation. Students apply to the program during their senior year of high school, and, upon admission, enjoy the benefits of having a reserved seat in medical school when they begin their college program. They earn a combined bachelor of science and doctor of medicine (B.S. /M.D.) degree in only six or seven years.

Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.