Expanded Indian Nations
Participants
Native American high school students in Utah, preferably 11th and 12th grade.
Focus
Recruitment of Native American students into health sciences careers.
About the Program
Expanded Indian Nations began in 1999 as a partnership between the Utah Area Health Education Centers and the School of Medicine. The Office of Diversity and Community Outreach now fully supports and manages the program each year recruiting participants, planning activities, and designing curriculum.
Native Americans are one of the most underserved populations in the US and are underrepresented in every area of health professions. Last year they represented less than .07% of graduates from US medical schools. Utah is home to many Native American tribes and federal reservation lands including Ute, Navajo (Dine), Goshute, Paiute, and Shoshone. Our focus is to expose youth to different professions in the health sciences and facilitate the pursuit of higher education.
The Colleges of Nursing, Health, and Pharmacy offer tremendous support in organizing activities for EIN. Health professions students mentor EIN participants and share their experiences about college life.
Sessions include several speakers from main campus who address college issues such as application, required high school coursework, the ACT, financial aid and scholarships, and the Intertribal Student Association through the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs.
During each session the DCO office arranges shadowing experiences for participants. Following all HIPAA regulations, we continue to offer this unique and powerful experience for students. After shadowing, we have a group discussion about their experiences.
Medical students have the opportunity to spend time with EIN participants during educational and social activities. This facilitates mentoring and friendships that make a big difference for students. We hope to recruit more Native American students to the U, and we look forward to this program each year.
If you are interested, please fill out a registration form.
Contact
For more information contact Melanie at 801-587-7672 or e-mail melanie.hooten@hsc.utah.edu.