Many of our programs work with young people to promote health, stimulate enthusiasm for science, and encourage their interest in health sciences careers. These include school-based programs focused on science enrichment as well as health-focused programs managed by pediatricians.
The mission of Inside Medicine is to provide a monthly series of Zoom meetings for high school students (focusing on under-resourced schools and students under represented in medicine) from all over the state of Maine. The goals are to spark interest, teach, guide, inspire, and sense of community amongst like-minded high school students.
Students run biweekly cooking lessons for elementary aged childrenat Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center’s After School Program, introducing new foods and key nutrition concepts through hands-on, fun activities.
Medical students lead a weekly chess club at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center’s After School Program, teaching kids strategic thinking, logic, and the lifelong skill of chess.
Medical students, dental students, and other health sciences students provide afterschool tutoring at the local Chinatown middle and high schools, providing essential expertise in science and math to students who are referred to the center.
Medical Education and Maine Outreach Regarding Youth (MEMORY) is a coalition of devoted medical students who aim to inspire Maine grade school students and medical professionals-to-be. Visiting schools and classrooms across the state, MEMORY volunteers conduct in-person programming tailored for their respective audiences – from 3rd graders to high school seniors.
The goal of the Passamaquoddy - Tufts Partnership is to establish a long-term relationship with the Pleasant Point Reservation in Maine to support the health and education needs identified by the tribe while also promoting a health careers pipeline for children at the Beatrice Rafferty School. This includes visits to Pleasant Point to participate in Health Fairs and provide educational programming at the school, a long-distance mentoring program with the kids, and face-to-face events with mentors and mentees in Boston, Portland, and Pleasant Point.
TEAMM (formerly Team Cathedral project) shares the profession of medicine with students at Cathedral High School to encourage health sciences as a possible profession to pursue in their education. We work with the athletic department to give sports medicine talks to the teams and 11th grade anatomy class to give lectures. Each year, TEAMM hosts the 11th grade students on our campus for a field trip to experience a day in the life of a medical student.
Under the direction of pediatrician Dr. Shirley Gonzalez, medical and PA students in the Teen, Empowerment, Education, Exercise, and Nutrition (TEEEN®) program develop and lead fitness and nutrition workshops with kids, teens, and their families. Pediatric overweight and obesity are multifactorial conditions that are strongly associated with multiple social determinants of health. The children participating in the TEEEN® program develop self-confidence, leadership and health literacy skills to make healthy choices in the face of these social determinants. Importantly, the TEEEN® program encourages parents to participate and become role models alongside their children, so that the benefit of health promotion is redoubled for the whole family.
The TUSM Chapter of White Coats for Black Lives provides pre-med mentorship whose primary goal is to increase the number of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) matriculants into medical school. Through one-on-one mentorship and monthly webinars, mentors are paired with URiM pre-medical students at varying stages of their careers to provide guidance and coaching in order to help mentees develop a competitive medical school application.
Getting into medical school can be a long and difficult process, particularly for individuals who lack access to medical mentorship and networks. YPI provides a positive and engaging mentorship experience to prepare the middle school, high school, and undergraduate students for their journey toward becoming a doctor in the future. Through ongoing programming and a Doc4aDay event, our students support young people interested in medical careers to learn more about the field. Learn more about this initiative here.