June 2011

 Addressing disparities in Florida’s physician workforce requires starting early – long before a medical school’s admissions process begins. At the Florida State University College of Medicine, part of that effort is a summer “mini med school” for high-school students.

In some places, this year it also means community involvement.

Capital Health Plan, for example, provided support for two students from Gadsden and Wakulla counties, rural areas that have a particular need for more physicians. In Collier County, the Immokalee Foundation supported three participants. And with an eye toward creating future physicians for Sarasota and Manatee counties, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan provided financial support for two participants from his area.

Sixty-one students from across Florida are participating in one of the college’s three Summer Institute sessions.

The weeklong sessions, for rising juniors and seniors, provide an inside look at what it means to be both a doctor and a medical student. It’s one way to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to consider a career in medicine. Typically, children from medically underserved communities or backgrounds never get that encouragement.

“Our goal for the Summer Institute is to recruit students from rural, underserved and minority backgrounds and, at the same time, recruit students from other parts of Florida who have a desire to work in medically underserved areas,” said Thesla Berne-Anderson, director of college and pre-college outreach at the College of Medicine.

Participants shadow physicians and medical students, visit rural health centers and get college testing and application advice. They also attend faculty lectures on topics such as medical ethics, migrant health care and doctor-patient relations. In several activities, the participants go through training similar to what real med students face. They get hands-on experience in taking blood pressure, performing CPR and more.

The focus on minority recruitment stems from the college’s founding mission to help train physicians for Florida’s traditionally underserved populations. A 2007 study indicated that fewer than 5 percent of Florida’s practicing physicians are African-American and 15 percent are Hispanic. By contrast, the U.S. Census Bureau classifies nearly 16 percent of Florida’s overall population as African-American and more than 20 percent as Hispanic. As Florida’s population continues to grow and its number of practicing physicians declines, people who were underserved from the beginning suffer all the more.

Elizabeth Foster, the college’s assistant director of research and graduate programs, traveled around the state in the spring to meet with students interested in medicine and in the Summer Institute.

“The selection process is competitive,” she said. “We sought the best and brightest at their schools – from a GPA of at least 3.5 and outstanding leadership, volunteerism and a passion for science and medicine. They should feel proud about being selected. We’re certainly proud to have them here.”

Here are the Summer Institute participants, listed alphabetically by county.

Charlotte County: Katlin Corbitt (Lemon Bay High).

Collier County: Stephanie Alcime, Adriana Carranza, Chedeline Frederick and Luis Parra (Immokalee High).

Duval County: Andi Stevens (Fletcher High).

Gadsden County: Devanta Knight, Ciarra Mathis, Ja’Lyn McMillian, Brandi Pringley and Keyuanna Reynolds (East Gadsden High); Lakendra Crittenden and T’Kayla Travis (West Gadsden High).

Hillsborough County: Keerthivasan Vengatesan and Lauren Wilkerson (C. Leon King High); Alberto Gonzalez (H.B. Plant High); Sarah Rehl (Hillsborough High); Nicholas Negron (Middleton High).

Leon County: Daniel Aldridge, Brandon Baker, Annie Kennedy and Yushan Wang (Leon High); Shakira Grant (Lincoln High); Torrean Lee (Maclay); Marie Evans and Mia Saunders (Rickards High).

Madison County: John Gudz and Deondra Lee (Madison County High).

Manatee County: John Roddenberry (Cardinal Mooney Catholic High).

Marion County: Katelynn Brown and Veronica Gaudier (Forest High).

Martin County: Rachel Candela (pictured in the center in the photo above) and Emily Larsen (Jensen Beach High); Kara Russell and Maryna Wakeman (Clark Advanced Learning Center).

Okaloosa County: Elizabeth Ellis, Wesley Fader, Catherine Hanna and Charanya Reynolds (Crestview High).

Orange County: Catiana Charles (Dr. Phillips High); Zandra Walker (Evans High); Brianna Wilkes (Timber Creek High); Christine Grandin and Tiana Schwindt (Trinity Prep); Bhavi Patel and Andrew Sexton (Wekiva High); Madison Reeber (Winter Park High).

Sarasota County: Kelly Clark and Amanda Ortiz (on the left in the photo above) (Sarasota High); Leah Genn and Justin Hall (Pine View High); Kaley Cochran (Venice Senior High).

Seminole County: Megan Flannagan (Father Lopez Catholic High); Casey Epperson and Alexa Zambrano (Seminole High).

Taylor County: Anna Ferrer, Kanesha Hugger, Shamouri Island, Madison Thomas and Austin Wynn (on the right in the photo above) (Taylor County High).

Wakulla County: Kayla Harris (Wakulla High).