High school students from 25 area school districts complete Junior Clinical Research Internship program with DHR, in partnership with Region One ESC
On Saturday, Aug. 6, a total of 140 students representing 25 area school districts graduated from the Junior Clinical Research Program, a partnership between DHR Health, and Region One ESC.
Over the course of the summer, students and educators who are part of the Region One GEAR UP: College Ready, Career Set!, GEAR UP: College Now-Career Connected! and PATHS TRES programs participated in a unique opportunity to reinforce the importance of life-long learning and the understanding of various disciplines in medicine and allied health sciences. This exposure and closer look toward the medical field would assist the students in the selection of their career goals.
The 10-day innovative camps provided students with hands-on learning opportunities in procedures such as: robotic surgery, blood draw, determining blood groups, patient triage, stop the bleed, and liver fibro scan, to name a few.
All participating students were also certified in Basic Life Support through the American Heart Association and published a manuscript in DHR Proceedings (https://dhrproceedings.org/index.php/DHRP) prior to graduation.
“To meet the needs of the local community, we have established the South Texas Center for Education & Training in Research with the mission to continue to engage the interest of underrepresented minorities in translational and clinical research” said Sohail Rao, MD, MA, DPhil, Founding President & Chief Executive Officer, DHR Health Institute for Research & Development. “This is the only such training program in translational and clinical research in South Texas and we predict that it will lead the way in enhancing the interest of high school students in our community to pursue careers in science, technology & innovation.”
The camp was strategically organized in distinct phases that gradually built the students’ understanding and knowledge of how clinical research is conducted and its impact on human health.
“The Junior Clinical Research program was a one-of-a-kind internship for those students interested in health science and research. Students were immersed and received hands-on experience from practitioners and experts in their field,” said Dr. Eliza Alvarado, Region One PATHS TRES Project Director.
According to Region One ESC’s Executive Director Dr. Daniel P. King, programs like these will continue to expose young adults in the region to various on-demand career tracks in the medical field.
“Region One is committed to continuing to grow support programs for high school students to better prepare them for their future career and the workforce,” Dr. King said. “We thank the participating districts for their involvement and trust in this work.”
Listing of Participating Districts:
Donna ISD
Edcouch-Elsa ISD
Edinburg CISD
Harlingen CISD
Hidalgo ISD
Jim Hogg CISD
La Joya ISD
Laredo ISD
La Villa ISD
Los Fresnos ISD
Lyford CISD
McAllen ISD
Mercedes ISD
Mission CISD
PSJA ISD
Point Isabel ISD
Progreso ISD
Raymondville ISD
Rio Grande City Grulla ISD
Rio Hondo ISD
Roma ISD
San Benito CISD
Santa Maria ISD
Weslaco ISD
Zapata County ISD