Morehouse School of Medicine News May 2017 MSM Inducts 30 AUCC Students into the Inaugural Cohort of the Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy On the warm and magical evening of Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 30 undergraduate students from Clark Atlanta University<http://www.cau.edu/>, Morehouse College<http://www.morehouse.edu/>, and Spelman College<http://www.spelman.edu/>, collectively known as the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC)<http://aucenter.edu/>, were festively inducted into the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy (UHSA)<http://www.msm.edu/Education/PipelinePrograms/undergraduate-health-sciences-academy.php>. The UHSA is an evolving and dynamic component to MSM's growing and extensive pipeline initiative designed to advance health equity locally, regionally and nationwide. This is done by identifying and equipping current health learners to become future health leaders. Tuesday's induction ceremony was a time for celebration, kicked off by UHSA Executive Director Dr. Tia Villeral. Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice<http://www.msm.edu/Administration/office_president/about_the_president.php>, president and dean of Morehouse School of Medicine, inspired and encouraged the inductees and everyone else in the room, making very plain the gravity and responsibility that comes with being a health care leader. The 30 students involved represent the inaugural cohort of UHSA students. Madelyn Adams, director of Community Benefit at Kaiser Permanente<https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/>, was also present to welcome students into the program. Participation includes a $5,000 stipend, being matched for summer internships at health care institutions, corporations and non-profits throughout the United States, and receiving academic support and guidance via mentorship provided by UHSA partner organizations, such as Kaiser Permanente, Emory University, University of Alabama-Birmingham and Rochester University, as well as Morehouse School of Medicine. At the ceremony, students also received plenty of swag for the summer and a coveted white lab coat with MSM and UHSA logos emblazoned on the sleeves. The primary objective of the UHSA, funded in part by a grant from Kaiser Permanente, is to recruit, select, mentor, and educate competent students from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, who are dedicated to service, eliminating health disparities, and promoting healthy communities. The UHSA at MSM intentionally seeks out individuals who will pursue careers in health sciences and biomedical research as primary care physicians, academicians, biomedical and clinical researchers, and leaders in health care policy and administration. Although just the beginning, the induction ceremony is a culminating effort of MSM and the AUCC institutions. The two entities, together, have embarked on effectively changing the perception of what health care professionals look like and upending the notion that one must be of a certain pedigree to become a health care leader, resulting in the development of mission-minded health care professionals equipped to provide equitable service to all. UHSA Partner Schools and Organizations Hosting Inductees * Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development (CCRTD)/Clark Atlanta University * Emory University * Kaiser Permanente * University of Alabama-Birmingham * University of Florida * University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill * University of Nebraska * University of Rochester Medical School * Morehouse College * Morehouse School of Medicine * Sister Love, Inc. * Sister Song, Inc. * SPARK Reproductive Justice Now SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/