New offerings will range from summer science camps that help inspire third graders to intense Saturday sessions that help prepare college students for the national Medical College Admission Test.

"We wanted to expand our existing educational outreach programs and increase the number of competitive students in our health career pipeline," said Wilma Sykes-Brown, assistant dean for educational outreach and partnerships in the MCG School of Medicine.

Ms. Sykes-Brown is project director on the new Department of Health and Human Services grant, Partnership Innovations for Pipeline Success, or PIPS. Linda S. James, director of MCG's Educational Enrichment Programs, is co-director.

Grant partners for the summer camps include the National Science Center at Fort Discovery and 30901 Development Corp., the community outreach arm for Augusta's Beulah Grove Baptist Church. The Richmond County School District is the partner for the new summer JUMP SMART program. Partners for the new MCAT preparation program, the Pre-Medical Honor Corps Initiative, include seven Georgia colleges Augusta State University, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia College & State University, Paine College, Valdosta State University, Fort Valley State University and Savannah State University. The Georgia Statewide Area Health Education Centers Network will open its extensive health care provider network throughout rural Georgia so honor corps students can shadow a provider.

The partners are helping make the new programs possible and unique, Ms. Sykes-Brown said. "We are looking forward to this statewide collaborative effort."

Fort Discovery grant writer Dave Smith wrote curricula for third- through eighth- graders that focus
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Contact: Toni Baker
tbaker@mcg.edu
706-721-4421
Medical College of Georgia
6-Oct-2005