Toledo Starz is an after-school program for local high school students with an interest in health sciences.

Dr. Michael Rees, UT associate professor of urology and medical director of the Human Donation Science Program, talked about transplant research during January’s Toledo Starz program on Health Science Campus.

In its third year, the program offers interactive faculty- or staff-facilitated presentations that explore diverse health-related topics and encourage interest in medical occupations. The 33 students accepted in the program meet each month from September to May on UT’s Health Science Campus. For the 2008-09 academic year, a mentoring program was incorporated with professional students representing disciplines in medicine, physician assistant and graduate studies serving as mentors to the youth.

“Starz was launched in fall 2006 with the idea of advancing the University’s commitment to diversity and education,” said Sandra Rivers-Gill, manager of diversity programs for the UT Office of Institutional Diversity.

“We cultivate a relationship by investing in these students’ futures, with the plan to have them return to The University of Toledo to further their education, as many alumni have already done.”

Each session takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Health Education Building Room 103 on the Health Science Campus unless otherwise noted. The remaining sessions include:

• Tuesday, March 10: “One Goal, Many Perspectives” will examine the importance of valuing one’s cultural background and how this can impact health-care delivery.

• Wednesday, March 25: “A Picky Approach to Forensic Medicine” will present students with case studies involving forensic pathology and analysis of a criminal investigation.

• Tuesday, April 21: “Super Starz Symposium” will allow students to make a formal poster presentation, giving them an opportunity to enhance their communication skills while presenting research findings. Note: This session will be held in the Center for Creative Education Lobby.

• Thursday, May 21: Starz graduation.

“There is true value in University-sponsored programs that are innovative enough to retain and encourage students’ participation each month,” Rivers-Gill said. “While we market the program annually, the best promoters of Starz are the students themselves who enthusiastically share their experiences with their peers.”

For more information, contact Rivers-Gill at 419.383.3438.

This entry was posted   on  Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 at  5:43 am and is filed under  Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.   You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.