Summer Pipeline Program

The Summer Pipeline Program is another key element of how we further our mission of combatting pervasive health care disparities that impact our underserved communities on the South and West Side of Chicago. Components of the program include:

• Medical Careers Panel: (Doctors Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Paramedics, Radiology Techs) 
• Medical STEM Careers Panel: STEM in Medicine Didactics ( Ultrasound, Robotic Surgery) 
• Healthcare Disparities Clinical Skills Suturing  
• Medical Careers Differentiation Day: (students will choose 1-2 career paths of interests via surveys following the careers panel lectures, which determines the small group mentor sessions they will participate in) 
• Medical Campus visit and Admissions day. (Students will get to visit Malcom X College and Pritzker School of Medicine, where students meet Admissions panel, receive swag and memorabilia, and take tours of each facility. 
• Medical Careers Breakout Application Session (Eligible students will focus on dual enrollment in Nursing, EMT, Radiology schooling, while Premeds will apply for pipeline programs such as I am Abel, Champs, EDVICE 

The program is held at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine’s Biological Sciences Learning Center, where students have access to classrooms, laboratories for dissections, state-of-the-art mock clinics, and leisure space; and the University of Chicago Simulation Center, 6th floor of the Mitchell Building, where students learn about medical didactics, simulations, ultrasound, suturing, and robotics. 

Rather than “teaching to the test,” our program allows students to learn science by actually doing science. Research shows that engaging in the practices used by scientists—in our case, by physicians and other health care practitioners—plays a critical role in comprehension. Teaching the practice of medicine as a process of inquiry and explanation helps students think past the subject matter and form a deeper understanding of how science applies broadly to everyday life. Our experiential curriculum—paired with access to skilled practitioners and UCMC resources—is designed to stimulate students’ interests in science and prepare them for college, careers, and citizenship, which is a critical step for youth from underrepresented communities.