Saturday Science Academy-II Holds Annual Junior White Coat
ANNUAL REPORT 2021
The Saturday Science Academy-II ( SSA-II ) at CDU held its 21st annual Junior White Coat Ceremony on a Saturday in January 2021 via Zoom . Nearly 250 K-12 students were recognized for their participation in the year ’ s Academy , and 31 students received their junior white coats .
" Although 2020 was a very difficult year , we still found an opportunity to provide our students and our community with a quality STEM education ," said Eileen Forbes-Hill , Executive Director of Pipeline and School Partnership Programs .
CDU ’ s local elected officials , including Congresswoman Nanette Barragán , Senator Steven Bradford , and Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Mike Gipson , provided certificates of recognition to include in the virtual program and recognized students for their accomplishments .
CDU ’ s longest running pipeline program is a year-round program with three eight-week sessions during the school year and a four-week summer course . In 2020 , 92 % of students demonstrated measurable improvement of their understanding of STEM-related curricula , based on pre-session and post-session assessment tests .
CDU Hosts Community Health Fairs and Vaccine Townhalls
CDU hosted four health fairs in public housing areas in October and November 2021 . The fairs took place in Nickerson Gardens , Gonzaque Village , Imperial Courts , and Jordan Downs . Over 200 public housing residents attended these fairs , with 55 individuals receiving a COVID-19 vaccine . Giveaways were provided to all attendees , including free meals and health supplies that included masks and hand sanitizer .
In conjunction with the health fairs , an English and Spanish virtual COVID-19 vaccine town hall forum series was provided for public housing residents .
Topics covered through the events include variants , vaccine facts and myths , addressing chronic health diseases , and social justice issues related to COVID-19 vaccines .
Various health leaders presented during the events , including AltaMed Health physicians , CDU faculty , healthcare providers , community organizers , and public housing residents . All townhall forums were moderated by CDU students .
Prior to the health fairs , CDU was able to train 20 public housing residents as COVID-19 community health leaders via a
12-week program focused on social , behavioral , and healthcare-related vaccination challenges among African American and Latinx public housing residents . CDU students from the Masters of Public Health and Physician Assistant programs also participated in the leadership training program .
These activities were possible due to funding provided to CDU from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities . The health fair was held in collaboration with key CDU partners including Kedren Health and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles .
CHARLES R . DREW UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND SCIENCE 19