Due to an overwhelming response to the Dare to be a Doctor conference being held on Oct. 17, 2009, registration will close Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Last year, this conference was attended by more than 550 students and 200 parents and school staff. It was a career conference designed to introduce minority and disadvantaged students in middle and high school to the medical field and to motivate them to pursue a career in medicine.
With the success of last year’s event, this year's conference, being held once again at the Westchester County Center, will be open to middle school, high school and college minority students interested in careers in the health professions.
More than 12 prominent African-American and Hispanic physicians who represent a wide range of specialties from cardiology and dentistry to OB-Gyn and dermatology will take part in the program. Students will have a chance to meet physicians and other health care providers and get a glimpse of a day in the life of a health professional.
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Sonia Velez, a Latina physician who grew up in Spanish Harlem and followed her dreams to become a doctor and a lawyer. Dr. Velez is the director of the New York Medical College at Saint Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency Program in Yonkers. She will share her story about growing up in a tough neighborhood with parents who immigrated from Puerto Rico with a sixth-grade education, and what motivated her to pursue a career in medicine. Learn more about Dr. Velez at the New York Medical College.
Students will have the opportunity to visit an exhibit area, where more than 20 health-related agencies will provide information on volunteer opportunities, internship programs and career development resources. Interested vendors should send in a completed exhibitor registration form to secure a spot at this highly attended event.
Experts agree that in order to improve the health of Black and Hispanic residents and to reduce health care disparities, our efforts should be focused on getting more minority physicians and other health providers. We all know the road to becoming a doctor or working in the medical profession is not easy. And, it can be even harder for minority and disadvantaged students.
The conference was part of a countywide mentoring initiative recommended by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Disparities.
Students can also submit their e-mail address to receive additional information on this year’s conference and other forums planned on selected topics relating to the medical field.
The conference is being made possible through generous donations from Westchester Medical Center and Aetna with assistance from Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.
The Dare to be a Doctor conferences were an outgrowth of the countywide mentoring initiative developed based on the findings of the 2005 Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Disparities. The task force was created to explore health care disparities in Westchester. A key recommendation from these findings was to increase the number of minority physicians and health professionals in the county. You can read more about the findings in Health Disparities among Blacks in Westchester: A Snapshot Report.
Held first in 2008 and then in 2009, the "Rx for Success: Dare to be a Doctor" conference received overwhelming responses from minority students both years. These countywide events drew over 500 students and over 200 parents and school staff each year to the County Center. In 2008, over 45 online participants (including a community center and a school) also viewed the event live via Webcast.
Students are encouraged to submit their e-mail address to join the Dare to be a Doctor student e-mail group in order to receive information throughout the year on career development resources and area events to promote their interests in becoming future healthcare professions.