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Workforce Development
Fiscal Year 2005-2009
Grantee

The President and Fellows of Harvard College
25 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115

The Harvard Medical School (HMS) Office for Diversity and Community Partnership promotes increased recruitment, retention and advancement of underrepresented minority faculty at Harvard Medical School and oversees all diversity activities involving Harvard Medical School faculty, trainees, students, and staff. The Minority Faculty Development Program (MFDP), has created programs to: increase the number of pre-college and college disadvantaged and underrepresented minority students interested in health and public health careers; encourage underrepresented minority students consideration of academic medicine; increase the number of minority physicians and scientists who undertake post-graduate medical education at one of its 18 affiliated institutions; address the need for the development of minority faculty and leaders within academic medicine and public health; and increase the number of minority faculty at Harvard Medical School. The MFDP also has partnerships with Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts middle and high schools, teachers, and administrators.

HMS MFDP Umbrella Cooperative Agreement: The OMH/HMS Leadership/Faculty Development Program for minority health professionals provides skills needed for career advancement and success in the academic and public health arenas to 100 junior minority health care professionals, faculty members and public health officials through a four-day conference. The conference includes presentations on minority health research, health disparities and health policy, a minority health research training session, career development training sessions, and network building. The Four Directions Summer Research Program is designed to increase the pool of Native American students interested in health science careers. It introduces 10 Native American students to research and health-related professions through an eight-week summer research session. Each student is assigned a mentor, participates in weekly seminars and Talking Circles, shadows clinicians and attends a workshop on medical/graduate school admission. The Explorations Program brings 250 Boston and Cambridge middle school students to Harvard Medical School for a day-long event. Students are paired with health professionals in mentoring relationships that include shadowing professionals, visits to research laboratories, hospitals and community health clinics, and discussions about science career paths and the importance of academic preparation. Explorations/Reflection in Action: Building Healthy Communities provides an open forum for 300 Boston and Cambridge middle and high school students to visit Harvard for a one-day event. Students are encouraged to engage in health and science exploration, develop and showcase creative ideas related to building healthy communities, connect current health issues with scientific knowledge, attend a community health fair focusing on minority health issues and health disparities, participate in a science health bowl game, and consider careers in health care, medicine, and science.