July 16, 2001

High school students use summer to investigate medical careers

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By Erin Lucero
Office of Development, School of Medicine

RICHMOND, Va. – For five weeks this summer, 30 high-school students from around the state will get a first-hand look at what it takes to pursue a health-care career as they participate in the 12th annual Virginia Governor's School for Medicine.

Selected from more than 100 applicants, the rising juniors and seniors will be introduced to a field of their choice by a mentor from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine – either a practicing physician or a medical researcher (see attached list for participating students). Students arrived on campus on June 24; the five-week program will run through July 27.

Students paired with a physician are based in VCU’s Medical College of Virginia Hospitals, learning about patient care and discussing treatment plans with health-care providers. Those studying a research specialty actively participate in laboratory research and work with investigators to analyze findings.

In addition to conducting research projects, all students rotate through other specialties that interest them and volunteer in the hospital. They’ll also get a taste of college and city living, with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Richmond-area’s numerous recreational activities from the home base of a dorm room on the MCV Campus.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for these students," said Gregory S. Cooper, director of the Virginia Governor's School for Medicine. "They’ll have the chance to observe surgery, childbirth and emergency medicine, and they’ll assess for themselves what a career in medicine looks like on a day-to-day basis so they can decide if that’s what they want."

Dozens of the program’s past participants have gone on to pre-med programs and medical schools. The Governor's School for Medicine is a cooperative project of the Virginia Department of Education's Office of Programs for the Gifted and VCU's School of Medicine. The program was the first of its kind in the country.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies VCU as a Carnegie Research-Extensive university. MCV Hospitals, the teaching hospital of VCU, is the largest academic health center in the state. Programs in VCU’s School of Medicine and MCV Hospitals have been repeatedly ranked among the best in the nation.

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12th Annual Virginia Governor's School for Medicine
at Virginia Commonwealth University

Name

Hometown

Studying

County, High School

Michael Ayers

Clifton Forge

Family Practice

Alleghany County’s Alleghany High School

Christopher Samir Boutros

Alexandria

Surgery

Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School

Rebecca Clark

Danville

Trauma Surgery

Danville’s George Washington High School

Victoria L. Chiou

Chesterfield

Neurology

Richmond’s Governor’s School for Government and International Studies

Matthew G. Collins

Roanoke

Anesthesiology

Roanoke’s Cave Spring High School

Devan Darby

Virginia Beach

Psychiatry

Virginia Beach’s Princess Anne High School

Deanna Faulk

Newport News

Gastroenterology, Microbiology and Immunology

Newport News’ Menchville High School

Kendal J. Fisher

Petersburg

Burn Unit

Petersburg’s Petersburg High School

Matthew Hubbard

Lebanon

Cardiology

Lebanon’s Lebanon High School

Andrew F. Humphries

Waynesboro

Pharmacology and Toxicology

Waynesboro’s Waynesboro High School

Lindsey C. Jones

Aylett

Neurology

King William’s King William High School

Jeremy Justus

Grundy

Pediatrics

Hurley’s Hurley High School

Jeremy D. Kidd

Narrows

Anesthesiology

Narrows’ Narrows High School/ Southwest Virginia Governor’s School

Angela Jean Kim

Ridgeway

Pediatrics

Henry County’s Magna Vista High School

Emily Kutzer-Rice

Falmouth

Nephrology

Fredericksburg’s James Monroe High School

Rahul Mahajan

Richmond

Emergency Medicine

Henrico County’s Henrico High School

Courtney Mason

Sterling

Pediatrics

Sterling’s Potomac Falls High School

Neil Mehta

Great Falls

Pharmacology and Toxicology

The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Christen Orndorff

Woodstock

Emergency Medicine

Woodstock’s Central High School

Michael J. Patterson

Ruckersville

Surgery

Greene County’s William Monroe High School

Kathryn A. Price

Hampton

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Hampton’s Phoebus High School

Cathryn Proctor

Abingdon

Psychiatry

Washington County’s Abingdon High School

Todd Rosenbaum

Fredericksburg

Infectious Disease

Spotsylvania’s Massaponax High School

Scott Rusteikas

Manassas

Anesthesiology

Manassas City’s Osborn High School

Kelly A. Tenny

Forest

Pathology

Bedford County’s Jefferson Forest High

Desiree’ Tunstall

Springfield

Ophthalmology

Fairfax County’s Robert E. Lee High School

Nisha Warrier

Centreville

Primary Care

Chantilly’s Westfield High School

Janet Yoo

Springfield

Surgery

Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Jeongseok Yu

Clifton

Microbiology and Immunology

Fairfax County’s Centreville High School

Ashley Diane Zapf

Woodbridge

Neurosurgery

Prince William County’s Gar-Field Senior High School