May 2011

Ten years after the first Bridge students arrived at the College of Medicine, the 10 latest Bridge students were toasted at a May 17 luncheon for their completion of a rigorous, one-year master’s program.

May 21 at the college’s commencement ceremony they received their Master’s in Biomedical Sciences, Bridge to Clinical Medicine degrees. Then, on the last day of May, they officially joined the Class of 2015 as new first-year medical students.

The Bridge Program helps the College of Medicine achieve its mission, which includes “service to elder, rural, minority, and underserved populations.” The program provides a bridge into medical school for hand-picked students; their characteristics make them good candidates for practicing primary care with underserved or minority patients in rural or inner-city communities. Often the students come from such communities themselves and had not considered medical school as an option.

Underscoring the program’s effectiveness, Bridge supervisor Helen Livingston, Ed.D., explained during the celebratory luncheon: “Of the 28 students who completed the program and have graduated from medical school, 71.4 percent have entered a primary-care residency.”

Dean John Fogarty, M.D., told the crowd that the recent reaccreditation site team had been particularly impressed with Bridge and other so-called pipeline programs.

Fogarty also reminded the students that last year’s Bridge students now are the leaders of the Class of 2014. He and other faculty members urged them to become Class of 2015 leaders in academics, professionalism and integrity.

During the luncheon, all 10 students reviewed the research projects on which they had worked. Here is the list:
• Blakele Bakker: “Examining Why Physicians Choose Rural Practice.” (Faculty mentor: Eron Manusov, M.D.)
• Geami Britt: “Reading the Nation’s Book of Health: A Correlation Between Low Health Literacy and African-Americans.” (Gail Bellamy, Ph.D.)
• Amanda Jackson: “Foto-novelas: Improving Health Literacy Among African-Americans and Hispanics.” (Bellamy)
• Kathleen Burns: “Blood Pressure Control Project: A Follow-up of Health Leaders.” (Penny Ralston, Ph.D., College of Human Sciences)
• Keniel Pierre: “Music Listening and Anxiety in Post-Stroke Dysphagia.” (Manusov)
• Taaj Shelton: “An Analysis of Selected Students’ Level of Involvement in the Florida State University College of Medicine Outreach Program and Their Performance Self-Esteem.” (José Rodríguez, M.D.)
• Lyvie-Sara Sylvestre: “Effect of Mental Interventions on Uninsured Minority Patients.” (Rodríguez)
• Saritha Tirumalasetty: “Obesity-Body Image Study: An Analysis of the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Habits.” (Gareth Dutton, Ph.D.)
• Nicole Williams: “Church-based Blood Pressure Control Project: A Follow-up Study of Family Participants.” (Ralston)
• Day Zayas: “An Assessment of the Influence of Race on Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating.” (Dutton)