Allied Health Faculty and Students Facilitate Inspiring Programs in STEM Award-Winning Summer Event

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine recently recognized the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s Aspiring Health Professions Summer Academy with an Inspiring Programs in STEM award for 2022.  The Summer Academy hosts thirty high-school students from historically-underrepresented communities to participate in a week-long program, where they engage with healthcare professionals and participate in practical activities and simulations.  Participants also meet graduate students who have shared their experiences and who can offer advice on application processes, financial aid, and career options.  The program is supported by the Colleges of the OU Health Sciences Center and the OU Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at no cost to attending students.

Participating in the 2022 Summer Academy were CAH faculty Mary Hudson and Mona Ryan (Communication Sciences and Disorders), Alisa Brewer, Lynn Jeffries, and Susan Tucker (Rehabilitation Sciences), Jenny Gilmore, Amanda Hanstein, Darci Bray, Vesper Grantham, and Robin White (Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences).  Additionally, students Piper Allred, Madelyn Barton, Johanna Beathard, Sydney Breckenridge, Alexis Brophy, Chelsey Duthie, Emily Johnson, and Michaela LeBlanc (Communication Sciences and Disorders) participated as graduate student resources for the Summer Academy attendees.  With their help, attendees learned about the exciting opportunities available to them in the professions of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, dietetics, sonography, radiography, nuclear medicine, and radiation sciences.

Congratulations to these outstanding faculty and students for their important role in this award-winning program!