DO Students Mentor High School Students
April 16, 2015For the past year, several DO students at PCOM have been participating in Health Career
Academy (HCA), a mentoring program designed to promote an interest in health careers
among high school students.
This year, more than 30 PCOM students visited local high schools to teach concepts
related to emergency medicine and community health. They discussed ER cases with 10th graders;
held interactive activities on topics such as spinal cord injury, hypertension and
cancer with 11th graders; and helped train 12th graders to become health ambassadors
within their communities, educating others about health and wellness issues.
Health Care Academy was founded by Barry Mann, MD, chief academic officer at Main
Line Health, and has chapters at several local medical schools. It is offered to students
in 10th-12th grades from schools that do not have the technology or staff to provide
science programs. The goal is to provide those resources to students so that any interest
in health and medicine can be nurtured and encouraged.
PCOM co-chairs Odessa Pulido (DO ’17), Julie Qiu (DO ’17) and Michaela Seigo (DO ’17)
brought the program to the College last year, after Dr. Mann gave a presentation on
campus about HCA. Ms. Pulido said she was so inspired after his talk that she spoke
to Ms. Qiu and Ms. Seigo about involving other PCOM students as mentors.
“The response from our current mentors was amazing,” says Ms. Pulido. “We successfully
[worked with] 10th grade students at Overbrook High School and helped them with their
final presentation at Lankenau Medical Center, and we also started working with 10th graders
at West Catholic Prep. The PCOM branch of Health Care Academy is now an integral part
of the Mainline HCA network.”
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About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Founded in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands
of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists
who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms.
PCOM operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and school psychology, and graduate degrees in
applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic
medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, non profit leadership
and population health management, organizational development and leadership, physician
assistant studies, school psychology, and public health management and administration.
PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service
to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care
to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
For more information, contact:
Daniel McCunney
Associate Director, News and Media Relations
Email: danielmc1@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6304 | Cell:
267-449-1360