First State Clinical Connections

It's never too early to start building a professional network.

That was the idea behind the First State Clinical Connections event in March, created by the University of Delaware's Center for Health Profession Studies (CHPS). More than 50 inquisitive UD undergraduate students met with Delaware healthcare professionals in the north atrium of UD's Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Health Science Center.

"We found that we had connections and frequently interacted with healthcare professionals, but realized that a lot of our students were unaware of them or they thought that they couldn't interact with them until they were their colleagues," said Saskia Richter, director of CHPS and medical scholars program and assistant professor of kinesiology and applied physiology.

The event was designed to help build the healthcare workforce in Delaware, which has a shortage of people working in a variety of medical fields. For two hours, students mingled with other students and made professional connections with representatives from seven local healthcare agencies: Christiana Care, Delaware Academy of Medicine, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Delaware Health Care Commission, Delaware Health Sciences Alliance, Delaware Institute for Medical Education and Research and Delaware Institute for Dental Education and Research.

Students asked questions about what they can do now to help them prepare for their medical or dental school applications, as well as whether parenthood has to be sacrificed in order to have a successful medical career. Students were grateful for the insights offered by the professionals, often asking for their contact information or jotting down notes to reflect on later.

"This has been helpful, not only meeting healthcare professionals, but also learning about the different resources that are available to us," said Krishna Desai, a junior majoring in health sciences. "I didn't know a lot about the financial assistance programs that are available to Delaware healthcare professionals."

Students crowded around Dr. Hisham Sherif, a cardiothoracic surgery specialist at Christiana Care, as he shared his story of earning his medical degree and, later, earning a doctorate in biomedical engineering from UD. It caught the attention of Allison Ramirez, a junior biology major.

"Talking to Dr. Sherif was cool," Ramirez said. "He's a cardiothoracic surgeon, and I'm interested in becoming a surgeon. Also, his journey of being an M.D. and Ph.D has given me something to consider."