The Center for Science, Health & Society is coordinating the
CWRU SOM role in partnership with the Cleveland
Municipal School District (CMSD) , and Hathaway
Brown (HB) School , a private, suburban preparatory school for
girls to establish the Scientific Enrichment and Opportunity (SEO)
Program. This initiative brings the considerable faculty talent and
resources of the SOM to bear on the CMSD through 1) the transfer
of HB's Student Research Program (SRP) to students of both genders
in the CMSD who demonstrate promise and interest in science, and
2) the implementation of teacher workshops run by SOM faculty designed
to enhance teacher practices, generate student enthusiasm for science,
and serve as a reinforcement and recruiting mechanism for the student
research portion of the SEO Program.
The student research component of the SEO Program is specifically
designed to bring students from the CMSD – the largest and
one of the most economically challenged school districts in Ohio – in
contact with faculty at the SOM to engage in longitudinal research
projects under faculty tutelage during the summer after students'
10th and 11th grade years, as well as during the 11th grade school
year. This research experience is intended to enhance student interests
in the biomedical sciences, provide them with unparalleled professional
experience in the sciences, and bring them into contact with the
SOM's faculty for both academic and career mentoring. In addition,
since the CMSD contains a large percentage of minority students,
with nearly 80% being either African-American or Hispanic, the SEO
program affords underrepresented minorities an opportunity that they
might not otherwise get to experience hands-on science. Through the
program, these students also receive the stimulus and reinforcement
from a unique supportive network comprised of CMSD science teachers
and guidance counselors, SOM faculty, and parents to continue on
to post-secondary education - and subsequently careers - in science.
For the teacher workshop segment of the SEO Program, the SOM, along
with the CMSD, intends to design an annual series of two graduate
level summer courses through which teachers can receive training
in how to best incorporate biomedical sciences information into their
class curricula, as well as earn graduate credit toward their certification.
Workshops include hands-on demonstrations, and also involve a significant
amount of one-on-one teacher-scientist interaction that continues
after the workshops have concluded, as CMSD teachers are encouraged
to contact SOM faculty for advice, ideas, and mentoring support.
Furthermore, the workshops present materials and information that
will enhance CMSD high school science curricula with the goal of
contributing to overall improvement of student performance on the
Ohio Proficiency Tests, and more importantly, spark student enthusiasm
about science.
The SEO Program is evaluated through both quantitative and qualitative
mechanisms. Student progress in the research component of the SEO
Program is monitored by CMSD science teachers and by SOM faculty
mentors during the program period (10th – 11th grades), and
student academic and career progress are tracked during the post-program
period. In addition, we utilize questionnaires to determine teacher,
student, and faculty mentor satisfaction with the student portion
of the SEO Program.
Evaluation of the teacher workshop portion of the SEO Program is
based on CMSD teacher self –efficacy surveys, as well as on
the academic/Proficiency Test performance of students in classes
of workshop participants, vs. the performance of students in classes
of non-participants. This latter measure is used to determine the
success of the program to present useful and engaging teaching methods
to enhance the CMSD science curricula. In addition, SOM faculty leaders
evaluate teacher performance during workshops, and the number of
students applying to the student research portion of the SEO program
is a benchmark for success since the teacher component is also designed
to reinforce and attract student interest in science.
LEAD POISIONING PREVENTION
Despite years of research, improved understanding and environmental
control efforts, lead poisoning remains an important regional health
problem for individuals and society. Over 20% of all children in
Cleveland have elevated blood lead levels with some neighborhoods
higher than 40%. While acute lead intoxication can result in coma
and death, chronic lead exposure is associated with impaired neurobehavioral
development and chronic renal disease. In addition to the tragic
individual consequences of chronic lead toxicity, the associated
public health and economic issues are enormous with critical consequences
for educational, behavioral and mental health programs in school
age children and important implications for workforce development
and provisions for patients with chronic disabilities. CWRU-CSHS,
City of Cleveland , and County
of Cuyahoga have established a partnership to develop a concerted
community wide plan to greatly reduce lead poisoning in our community
2010.
The initial components of the plan call for:
- Announcement of lead poisoning prevention project
as Cleveland/CWRU/Cuyahoga Partnership.
- Conduct a community-wide forum on lead poisoning to raise awareness,
develop advocacy and review national best practices for control
of lead toxicity.
- Stimulate interdisciplinary faculty interests and initiatives
to focus on understanding and control, on a regional basis, of
chronic lead exposure, prevention and more effective interventions
targeting the health consequences of chronic lead intoxication.
- Develop 2-4 pilot projects that can be instituted, measured and
replicated in the larger community.
- Leverage HUD funding and other local support to make a major
impact on the problem within a limited time frame.
COMMUNITY VISION COUNCIL
Sponsored by United Way Services, the Cleveland Community
Vision Council , Strong Families=Successful Children, serves
in a planning and advisory role to the County Commissioners to
evaluate needs and develop initiatives to improve the lives of
children and families in the Greater Cleveland area. In a white
paper titled, “A Vision for the Future of Children in Greater
Cleveland,” the Vision Council identified six indicators
of children's health and six goals to improve their health status.
Working with the Vision Council, CSHS will help achieve improvement
in the key indicators with initial focus on increasing the percent
of children who have completed their 4:3:1 immunization series
at age 2 from 53 percent to 90 percent in the City of Cleveland
and from 81 percent to 95 percent in the Cuyahoga County suburbs.
CLEVELAND MUNICIPAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
CSHS participated along with a series of community organizations
and representatives in the Cleveland
Municipal School District (CMSD) , Health Leadership Council
to develop a Comprehensive Health Plan for the CMSD. A series of
goals and objectives have been developed related to the leading health
indicators identified in the Surgeon General Report, School Health
Index (2000). “Promoting health behaviors among students is
an important part of the fundamental mission of schools: to provide
young people with the knowledge and the skills they need to become
healthy and productive adults.” CSHS and CMSD are collaborating
to improve health education and health services by first insuring
that all CMSD students have access to a complete health status evaluation
and physical examination as part of an experiential education process
for health professional students working under University Faculty
supervision.
HEALTHSPACE CLEVELAND
Working with HealthSpace Cleveland (formerly
the Health Museum of Cleveland), CSHS is engaged in two educational
initiatives. The Mini-Med School, modeled after the successful program
developed at he School of Medicine, consist of a series of evening
lectures and workshops offered at the new HealthSpace Cleveland site
and targeted to the health needs of the surrounding community.
The Health Museum has developed a Junior Medical Camp, a series
of one week programs offered during the summer to middle school students
ages 11-14 interested in medical sciences. Students are immersed
in a variety of biomedical experiences including a journey through
the internal structure of the human body, dissection of a cow's heart,
brain, and eye for exposure to anatomy; exploring genetics and solving
a crime using DNA analysis and fingerprinting and an opportunity
to meet with medical professionals. CSHS and HealthSpace Cleveland
are now collaborating to offer an Alumni Program for Junior Medical
Camp graduates to sustain their interest and involvement in biomedical
education and career development. Students will be offered opportunities
to participate in laboratory investigations, hands-on experiments
and creative problem solving. Personalized observership experiences
will be offered in which students will meet and shadow a health professional
in their area of special interest. In subsequent alumni years, students
will be provided with an opportunity to join a research team and
participate in depth and engage directly in biomedical research.
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