By MICHAEL POMMIER
AHEC

KANSAS CITY — The University of Kansas Medical Center Area Health Education Center (AHEC) held its annual Women in Health Care: The Next Generation event on Nov. 1-3, 2017 on the campus of KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. This year, 16 participants were chosen from more than 30 applications from female high school students across Kansas, who all have health-related career aspirations.

The following students were chosen to take part in the annual Women in Health Care: The Next Generation program:
· Brianna Romme – Thomas More Prep-Marian High School (Hays, Kan.)
· Emma Bigham – Herington High School (Herington, Kan.)
· Mariah Wells – Lyndon High School (Lyndon, Kan.)
· Olivia Link – Burlington High School (Burlington, Kan.)
· Nia Hughes – Lawrence Free State High School (Lawrence, Kan.)
· Brenna Flax – Trego Community High School (WaKeeney, Kan.)
· Ashley Prentice and Hailey LaPlant – Augusta High School (Augusta, Kan.)
· Makaiya Russell – Hesston High School (Hesston, Kan.)
· Ilyanna Knopp – Girard High School (Girard, Kan.)
· Madison Davis, Luciana Hernandez, and Madison Nagel – Pittsburg High School (Pittsburg, Kan.)
· Melanie Casanova and Alexa Reyes – Dodge City High School (Dodge City, Kan.)
· Emma Strobel – Pratt High School (Pratt, Kan.)

The three-day event provided students with the opportunity to explore the world of medicine and health care and interact with health professions students and faculty at KU Medical Center. The group attended a variety of labs at KU Medical Center including the orthopedics research lab, the nursing simulation lab, the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, and more.

This program is designed to encourage women to become leaders in health care, said Mary Beth Warren, director of the AHEC.

“With so few health care providers in most parts of the state, this program is a unique opportunity for young women to interface with a concentrated group of leaders and role models, many of whom are women,” Warren said. “Through this event, we also want to inspire the best and the brightest to excel in whatever health field they eventually choose.”

Women in Health Care: The Next Generation is an annual competitive program. More than 30 high school junior and senior women from across the state applied to take part in this year’s program, which included writing an essay demonstrating strong interests in health care careers and getting teacher recommendations.

For more information on this program and other AHEC programs for Kansas high school students, please visit www.kumc.edu/ku-ahec. AHEC is a part of KU Medical Center’s Institute for Community Engagement, which works with communities to advance the health of Kansans and beyond.