2012 Annual Report - Stanford Medical Youth Science Program

Stanford Medical Youth Science Program Annual Report 2012
Twenty-five Years of Building Community
(Photo by Tim Dang)
(Photo by Judith Ned)
(Photo courtesy of Nina Davis - SH&C)
If I were to tell the story of SMYSP, it would be a story of perseverance,
hope, service, and excellence. SMYSP appreciates her students for who
they are, gives them a glimpse of who they could be, equips them with
the tools to take the challenging path of realizing their dreams, and then
dares them to rise to that challenge.
Earle Hall, BA, MS, PhD
SMYSP Participant 1992
Reflections from the Founder
Marilyn Winkleby, MPH, PhD
Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
SMYSP is celebrating 25 years of reaching out to low income high school students–those who are interested
in higher education but are often overlooked by academic enrichment programs. These are exceptional,
resilient students who have been deeply affected by hardship–from poverty and homelessness to foster care
and violence. These students have lived together at Stanford, immersed in the world of medicine, sharing
their life stories and gaining confidence that college can become a reality. They have been taught by countless
Stanford faculty and staff, and mentored by hundreds of Stanford undergraduate, graduate, and medical
students. Our Annual Report this year highlights a few of the stories and successes of our 571 past participants, over 150 Stanford undergraduate counselors, and innumerable supporters. Alumni perspectives reflect the essence of SMYSP. As its founding Faculty Director,
I have seen them strong in the face of adversity, turn their hardships into empathy, and make a difference in their communities. I have
seen them succeed; 90% have earned 4-year college degrees or beyond, and among these, 47% have or are completing graduate
or medical school. Many are now professionals who have become part of the new, diverse leadership so critically needed in the U.S.
workforce. What started as a small tutoring program for students has evolved into a national model for science education and was the
recipient of the U.S. Presidential Award for Science Mentoring. It has received generous gifts from former Dean Phil Pizzo and Stanford
Provost John Etchemendy, as well as Leo Hindery, Jr., our long time supporter. I have the utmost confidence that SMYSP will thrive at
its new home in Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies. I am honored to support this transition and take my place among those who look in
with admiration and continuing support.
In a country formed through immigration, advancing health care and science likewise based on diversity – of both
the practitioners and the communities served – is a moral imperative. For 25 years SMYSP has had this goal, and it has
succeeded brilliantly, especially on behalf of the hundreds of low-income young students whom it has mentored and
advanced. What a gift for the ages, to these students and to the high-risk communities of the nation which they will serve.
Leo Hindery, Jr.
Donor, past SMYSP Board Member
An unexpected and profound benefit of having SMYSP students was letting us experience ourselves as a community for
the community we serve. These students make us aware of how fortunate we are to care for our community and how
vital all roles in healthcare are to each other. At the end of each day they came back with a story to tell us and a promise
of “a new question” the next time they were back.
They asked laser direct and pressing questions that make us reflect
on why we are here and why we went on this journey. It is our responsibility to create the world of work and hope for
young people; SMYSP is a brilliant vehicle for students to work in an organization, check out their choices, and see how
they do in the real world. SMYSP is creatively structured with positive activities that teach self-respect, respect for
others, accountability, and responsibility at many levels, and empowers them to make the choices they will make in life.
Carole Kulik, RN, MSN, ACNP
Director of Practice and Education, Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Francisco Garcia-Tafoya
SMYSP Participant 2011
University of Pennsylvania (Class of 2016)
My internship [in the Organ Transplant Service
Line at Stanford Hospitals & Clinics] in reality was
the best. I felt unique, because I was able to see
medicine from two very different perspectives. I
(Photo by Dale Lemmerick)
was able to meticulously observe the powerhouse
that allowed Stanford Hospital to be such an amazing place. The many people
involved were not just those putting on the performance, the surgeons and
physicians, but also the administrators, directors, and managers. It was
quite intriguing to be around so many individuals of high leadership. I was
impressed and inspired by their positions. As a student I knew what leadership was at a smaller scale, but this gave me a new perspective to ambition.
This being my overall experience, I shall never forget other small details.
(Photo by Dale Lemmerick)
SMYSP reminds us all of the untapped rich
reservoir of talent in families of modest
means, of the enthusiasm and contributions they can bring to medicine, and
finally of why Stanford needs to reach
out to the communities around us. SMYSP’s
work not only enables the success of talented high school students who otherwise
would be passed over – it also deepens our
own understandings of how fortunate we
are to share missions with them. In sustaining SMYSP, Stanford has attained the sweet
spot of helping others who help all of us
understand why we are in medicine.
Norman Rizk, MD
Senior Associate Dean for Clinical
Affairs, Stanford University School
of Medicine
(Photo by Alberto Villarreal - VAPAHCS)
I am extremely proud of the Stanford Hospital & Clinics staff and clinicians who selflessly give their time and energy
to SMYSP. Thank you for making such a positive impact on these young people’s lives.
Amir Dan Rubin, MBA, MHSA
President & CEO, Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Alivia Shorter, BA, MA
SMYSP Counselor 2008, Co-Director 2010
MPH candidate (University of California, Berkeley)
A lot of people who go into medicine imagine life as a doctor day to day: you treat patients, you perform
surgeries, and you have a busy life. The bigger story is that you’re giving back to communities. You’re not
just treating individual patients, you’re treating communities. Understanding that before you’re even going
into college really affects your medical path. The friendships and relationships fostered through SMYSP carry
(Photo courtesy of Alivia Shorter)
through today. My involvement with SMYSP over several years allowed me to work towards a goal that I am
passionate about – addressing inequity in education, helping young people pursue higher education, and diversifying the health work
force to best serve a changing population. There are few opportunities for undergraduate students to work on these issues of equity
and access, which makes SMYSP all the more unique and vital. SMYSP is one of the primary reasons I am pursuing a degree in Public
Health. The opportunities this program provides to both high school as well as college students are unparalleled. The conversations
with public health professionals and fellow students, as well as attending the array of workshops made available through SMYSP,
served as my first exposure to Public Health. If it were not for these opportunities, my career path would look very different.
Jenny Patten, BA, MS
SMYSP Participant 2002
JD candidate (Columbia Law
School)
I was the first in my family to attend
college, which was at Stanford. When
I applied to SMYSP, I was the only
(Photo courtesy of Jenny Patten)
Native American student at my high
school, a well-ranked public school outside of my community.
While in SMYSP, I met one of my best friends, Estell Williams,
who turned out to live right around the corner from me. Estell
and my counselors have been pivotal to my success because I
know that I can count on them to encourage me to keep going
or look to them for inspiration when I feel like times are too
tough. SMYSP gave me the confidence to apply to schools
that I never dreamed I could attend and prepared me
with the mentors, friends, and skills to succeed at each
of these institutions. A career in public health was something
that I never knew existed before attending SMYSP.
(Photo courtesy of Paul Wesson)
Erik Stephen Cabral, BA, MD
SMYSP Participant 1994
Dermatology Resident,
Stanford Hospital & Clinics
I came to the Stanford Medical Youth
Science Program in 1994 after nearly
failing out of my freshman year in
(Photo courtesy of Erik Cabral)
high school. SMYSP took a chance on
me even though I did not have perfect grades and exposed me
to hospital careers, college preparation, and role models that
are instrumental in my life to this day. I thank SMYSP for
providing me with a strong academic foundation for
college and medical school at Stanford University, and
my role as a physician. I can honestly say that I would not
have made it this far without SMYSP!
SMYSP Alumni Success Stories (A Selection)
Phuong Vo, MD, MPH
SMYSP Participant 1990
Clinical Fellow, Boston Children’s Hospital
Irina Linetskaya, MD
SMYSP Participant 1995, Counselor 1998
Primary Care Physician, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
Quynh Nguyen, MSPH, PhD
SMYSP Participant 2000
Data Analyst/Statistical Programmer, Northeastern University
Institute on Urban Health Research
Rochelle Tuttle, BA, MPH
SMYSP Participant 2002
DrPH candidate (Loma Linda University)
Cynthia Gomez, BA, MA
SMYSP Counselor 2003, Co-Director 2004
Senior Associate, Triage Consulting Group
Daniel Stringer, BA
SMYSP Counselor 2004
PhD candidate (Stanford University)
Keshia Groves, BA
SMYSP Participant 2005
Hospital Assistant III, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center
Maribel Diaz, BA, MA, MPH
SMYSP Counselor 2006, Co-Director 2008
Planning & Strategy Specialist, City of Hope National Medical Center
Daniel Sean Bradley, BS
SMYSP Counselor 2008
MD candidate (USC Keck School of Medicine)
Ulysses Rosas, BA
SMYSP Counselor 2008, Associate Director 2010, Anatomy
Co-Instructor 2012
MD candidate (Stanford University School of Medicine)
Hung Pham
SMYSP Participant 2009
Yale University (Class of 2015)
Lea Gee-Tong
SMYSP Counselor 2011
Stanford University (Class of 2013)
Jacqueline Cervantes
SMYSP Co-Director 2011
Stanford University (Class of 2013)
Clarice Nguyen
SMYSP Co-Director 2011
Stanford University (Class of 2013)
Minh Cao
SMYSP Participant 2012
Senior, Roseland University Prep High School
SMYSP Alumni Success Stories (A Selection)
Juan G. Ibarra, DrPH, MPH, MSW
SMYSP Participant 1990, Counselor 1995, Co-Director 1996
Epidemiologist/Evaluator, San Francisco Department of
Public Health
Aaron Misakian, BFA, MFA
SMYSP Participant 1998
Stem cell research, USC Keck School of Medicine
Thu T. Nguyen, MSPH
SMYSP Participant 2000
ScD candidate (Harvard School of Public Health)
Sung-Woo Cho, BA, PhD
SMYSP Co-Director 2003
Quantitative Research Associate and Adjunct Assistant
Professor, Columbia University
John J. Salcedo, BA
SMYSP Participant 2004
Clinical Trials Study Coordinator, Albert Einstein College of
Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center
Daniel Glorae, BS, MS
SMYSP Counselor 2005 & 2006, Director 2007
Criminalist, San Diego Police Department
Estell Williams, BS
SMYSP Participant 2002
MD candidate (University of
Washington School of Medicine)
The youngest of seven children
growing up in Oakland, a city well
known for its alarming rate of
(Photo by Marilyn Winkleby)
violence, poverty, and substandard
public education, from a young age I knew that education was
important. I had first-hand experience; my father did not have
the opportunity to further his education, and I used his hardships as the impetus for excelling in school. My horizons
were broadened by my exposure to SMYSP, and its
influence still holds strong today. I give presentations to
youth and adults alike focusing on the importance of promoting
science to underrepresented minority students as well as
supporting pre-college science and healthcare enrichment
programs. I am the first in my family to graduate from college,
and as I continue my final year of medical school, I deepen my
interest in health care for urban and underserved populations.
(Photo by Judith Ned)
Bianca Argueza, BA
SMYSP Participant 2006
MD candidate (Oregon Health & Science University)
Mililani Trask-Batti, BA
SMYSP Counselor 2008, Co-Director 2010
MPH candidate (University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa)
Daniel Joseph Hurwit, BA
SMYSP Counselor 2009
MD candidate (Stanford University School of Medicine)
Tim Dang
SMYSP Counselor 2010, Co-Director 2012
Stanford University (Class of 2013)
Jane Yoon
SMYSP Counselor 2010
Stanford University (Class of 2013)
Amaya Cotton-Caballero, BA
SMYSP Counselor 2011
Program Assistant, Institute for Reproductive Health at
Georgetown University
Nam Q. Nguyen
SMYSP Counselor 2011
Stanford University (Class of 2013)
James Huynh
SMYSP Counselor 2012
Stanford University (Class of 2015)
Teresa Ballar Dicolen, BA, MPH,
CHES
SMYSP Counselor 2007,
Co-Director 2008
Regional Research Coordinator,
Healthy Kids Out of School
Initiative, Tufts University
(Photo courtesy of Teresa Dicolen)
As a Counselor, and later, Co-Director,
I was challenged to take risks and make tough decisions. Being
in the presence of such remarkable and resilient participants
is humbling and inspiring. Very few things are more rewarding
than watching a person undergo such positive change in a mere
five weeks. It’s not too good to be true. It’s good and true.
When I reflect on experiences with participants and counselors,
I find myself motivated to push my limits and to never become
complacent. SMYSP goes much deeper than skill building.
It is life changing. It is an honor and privilege to be part of
a program that so profoundly affects those who participate
in it. I am forever thankful for this opportunity, and I sincerely
hope it continues to impact young adults for years to come.
Each year, I continue to be impressed with the energy, commitment, and academic talent of these students when I
discuss issues of national health policy with the students. It is apparent to me that, with most of the students having
experienced social and/or economic disadvantage, they immediately grasp these issues as central to American
health policy. Knowing that many of these students will become physicians, my faith in the future of the U.S. medical
profession is reinforced.
Donald A. Barr, MD, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics, Program in Human Biology, Stanford University
Julio Monterrey, BS, MS4
SMYSP Participant 2001
MD and MS candidate (University of California, Irvine and Stanford University School of Medicine)
I volunteered as a Spanish interpreter and saw how the tribulations of low socioeconomic Latinos landed
them in the emergency room to care for their physical, emotional, and psychological wounds. My cultural
and socioeconomic background as the child of working-class immigrants allowed me to empathize
with these patients in ways most of the staff could not. It was after my freshman year in college when
(Photo courtesy of Julio Monterrey)
I realized how much of an impact I could have on this disadvantaged population as a future Latino physician
who was raised in neighborhoods similar to their own. I decided to attend medical school after being accepted into a dual-degree
program (Program in Medical Education – Latino Communities) because it gave importance to the sociologic understanding of medicine,
not just the biologic. (continued below)
(Photo by Dale Lemmerick)
(Photo by Judith Ned)
(Photo by Judith Ned)
My medical education has been supplemented with
medical anthropology coursework, and I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in epidemiology at Stanford University to study the
nature of mental health in disadvantaged populations. This has been the path of my pursuit for an education, personal growth, and a
means to help others, ever since I attended SMYSP and was shown through the example of others that I too could become a physician
and fulfill my passions through a career in medicine.
My weekly mentoring sessions were such an eye opener to some of the incredible challenges students from low-income
families face in pursuing their dreams and goals. Three years ago I was presented with an opportunity to support SMYSP
alumni by providing housing during the summer Stanford SIMR program. It has been the highlight of our summer each
year to welcome a student into our home – developing new family ties that go far beyond a summer experience. Getting
to know each one of these students has truly enriched our lives and has enabled us to support change in our community.
Catherine K. Draper, RDH, MS
Adjunct Faculty, Foothill College
I feel like my food and nutrition lectures may have inspired a few SMYSP students to consider
nutrition science as an area of professional interest. And I am inspired by how much they
appreciate the extraordinary opportunity SMYSP provides to them.
Christopher D. Gardner, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
Looking Forward: The Future of SMYSP
Dr. Judith T. Ned, EdD, MEd
SMYSP Executive Director, Stanford University School of Medicine
Change: the act of passing from one state to another; to become or make different. As I reflect on the past
eleven years with SMYSP, and its rich history, I am both humbled and proud of what SMYSP has accomplished.
For example, we took a stand for science education by assuming a more active role in addressing the Crisis
in Science Education, which is exacerbated by increasing high school dropout rates, a failure to reach lowincome and minority students, and a decline in science being taught as a stand-alone subject. The work we
(Photo by Jamison Boyer)
have done continues to inspire me, from developing videos and documentaries that highlight the importance
of K-12 science and medical pipeline programs; developing curricula focused on public health, community-based learning, social
advocacy, scientific research, and constructs of identity, power, and privilege; to being recognized as one of the most established and
evaluated science education programs in the United States by President Barak Obama. Yet, what I am most proud of is the leadership
role that allows me to serve the community while enriching the lives of young people, and have them enrich mine. Summer 2012
officially marked the end of an era for SMYSP and signified the beginning of a new chapter as we officially merged with Stanford
Pre-Collegiate Studies (SPCS), which strives to create and promote Stanford programs that enrich and enhance the educational experience
of secondary and pre-secondary students worldwide. SMYSP will offer SPCS’s first tuition-free program for low-income and underrepresented minority students. In my new role as Director of SMYSP and Associate Director of Programs with SPCS, I plan to continue
the long standing tradition of excellence the community has come to expect from SMYSP. My vision for SMYSP (continued below)
and future SPCS initiatives include: 1) additional science and medical programs, workshops, and conferences for all students regardless
of socio-economic status; 2) workshops and courses facilitating teaching and learning opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and
medical students; 3) university-departmental partnerships that foster new curricula; and 4) broader community partnerships. I am
optimistic and confident that, as SMYSP moves forward, we will continue to help change the course of science and medical education
by affirming the value of diversity and academic opportunities for all students as core Stanford values. Our commitment to developing
young leaders is an essential factor in addressing health disparities in our communities as well as increasing diversity in the science
and medical professions.
We see SMYSP as a shining example of this type of [tuition-free] program, and we are honored
to have a part in it. Our goal is to preserve the unique features of SMYSP, while identifying
ways to ensure its continued support. SMYSP has succeeded in bringing low-income and
underrepresented minority students to Stanford in a way that SPCS (and formerly EPGY) has
not been able to in the past. We hope that SMYSP will create visibility for a larger effort at SPCS
to serve under-represented and under-resourced students.
Rick Sommer
Managing Director, Education Program for Gifted Youth
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, Stanford University
Christopher S. Martin
SMYSP Counselor 2012
Stanford University (Class of 2015)
I understood that my work [with SMYSP] would have an impact on our students, but I never imagined I would
be transformed in the process as well. The greatest part of my job was interacting with the students, and
facilitating their growth. Service is a beautiful thing in itself, but SMYSP allowed me to serve and gain
lifelong bonds that not only left me satisfied, but genuinely happy. SMYSP helped solidify my interest
(Photo by Judith Ned)
in the health field, and reminded me that I need to bring the same level of intensity that I expected of my
students. The bonds I made within the program have the potential to last a lifetime. I gained a second family, and the mutual love
and support I continue to receive from those involved with the program is truly a blessing.
SMYSP is not a typical program; it touches only a comparative few but results in marked changes to the individual
lives of the participating students in ways that not only benefit them but also the larger community. It is not just the
high school students who are affected but also the counselors and directors who often describe their service to this
program as one of the most important contributions to their Stanford education. I know of no similar program with
this kind of track record.
Jeanne Kennedy
Former SMYSP Advisory Board Chair
(Photo by Dale Lemmerick)
(Photo by Tim Dang)
We welcome your support and thank you in advance as we expand and enhance our programs, and provide long-term support to
SMYSP alumni. Contributions to SMYSP can be made by mailing a check or money order payable to Stanford University (with a notation
specifying SMYSP as the beneficiary of the gift) to the SMYSP office. Or, you may make a gift online using the following link:
http://smysp.stanford.edu/giving/index.html.
Stanford Medical Youth Science Program
Stanford Prevention Research Center
Medical School Office Building
1265 Welch Road, Room X324
Stanford, CA 94305-5411
Photography by Steve Fisch Photography (except where noted).