Omar Danner, MD, trauma director and associate professor of surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), believed he could do more than provide medical attention to the young victims of violence he frequently treated at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
To create a pathway to encourage underrepresented high school students to enter the health care professions, Danner formed a pipeline program called Reach One Each One with Grady Health System and colleagues from MSM and Emory University School of Medicine.
Entering its sixth year, Reach One Each One accepts high-performing juniors and seniors who gain exposure to different medical specialties and access to “a multitude of diverse professional role models” through an intensive 12-week course. “Our goal is to lower the barrier of access for disadvantaged youth—to tear down the walls that have previously held them back and allow them to peer in the world of health care,” said Danner.
Students not only observe clinical work, but receive career counseling, financial advice, and form relationships with professional mentors. About 61 percent of the program’s 90-plus participants have gone on to enroll in pre-med college programs.
This article originally appeared in print in the May/June 2016 issue of the AAMC Reporter.