Sixty minority 10th- and 11th-grade students from high schools in all five boroughs of New York City recently completed the 11th annual session of Weill Cornell Medical College's HPREP enrichment program, which seeks to boost enrollment of underrepresented minorities in medical schools.
Established in 1989 by a Cornell medical student (Daniel LaRoche, class of 1992), HPREP (the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program) continues to be a highly successful program, thanks largely to the dedication and time volunteered by first and second-year medical students, who serve as mentors and role models for the high-school students.
Each year, HPREP students come to the Medical College for 10 two-hour sessions held on Friday afternoons from the end of January to the end of March. In the first hour, Weill Medical College faculty give presentations on topics ranging from AIDS/HIV to diabetes to teenage pregnancy. In the second hour, medical students lead small group workshops in which HPREP students get practical advice and insight in such areas as how to improve study skills, the college application process, financial aid programs, college courses, and language and ethnic barriers in medicine. Each HPREP student also prepares a research paper on a health-related topic of interest to the student.
This year's session ended with a reception last month, when the students received their HPREP certificates.
Applications for the HPREP program go to about 65 New York City high schools in October. For the 60 available slots, 125 to 200 applications may be received. These are reviewed by Weill Cornell medical students, who make the final selections.