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Mary Massie-Story, a 1996 graduate of CWRU's School of Medicine,
told Shaw High School students that she grew up in roach- and
rat-infested public housing in inner-city Pittsburgh.
She detailed the many struggles she faced on her way to becoming
a doctor but said that with the encouragement and help of several
educators and others, she reached her goal. She now is a board-certified
family medicine practitioner at the MetroHealth Clement Center
for Family Care in Cleveland.
Massie-Story was the keynote speaker for Diversified Occupations
Day, which was organized by the CWRU School of Medicine's Office
of Urban Health, Shaw High School of the East Cleveland Schools
and NorthEast Ohio Neighborhood (NEON) Health Services Inc. and
its National Community Center of Excellence in Women's Health.
The program was organized through the medical school's Office
of Urban Health.
In addition to the high school students, more
than 50 people participated in the program featuring the University's
medical, dental and nursing schools, as well as other health professionals
and community members who set out to inspire the students to consider
careers in health care.
CWRU was represented not only by Office of Urban
Health but also by the medical school's Urban Area Health Education
Center and the Center for Adolescent Health and the CWRU Office
of Multicultural Affairs. Also participating in the day's program
were representatives from the Shaker Heights Department of Health,
University Hospitals of Cleveland, the Ohio College of Podiatric
Medicine, the Health Museum of Cleveland and the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services.
"This meeting is all about dreams," Susan Wentz,
director of the Office of Urban Health, told the students. "We're
all at different points on our journey. Some are just beginning
and some are further down the road, but way back when we started
out, we had dreams, and we needed to protect them."
Organizers offered ongoing assistance to students
who decided to pursue careers in health care. The three-hour program
also included a lunch during which faculty and others partnered
with students in a planned networking session, informal remarks
from participants, a panel discussion and question-and-answer
periods.
The event concluded with Frederick C. Robbins,
medical school dean emeritus, university professor emeritus and
1954 Nobelist, presenting all of the students with certificates
of accomplishment.
The CWRU School of Medicine's Office of Urban
Health began its work in 2001 with a $339,909 grant from the St.
Luke's Foundation of Cleveland. The office serves as a catalyst
for interaction between the people and programs of the School
of Medicine, CWRU and the community, to develop and enhance health
services, medical education, responsive research, health promotion,
and disease prevention efforts involving the urban population.
For more information about the office, call (216)
368-5493.
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