AMCA Highlighted Health Care Careers Through Future Health Leaders Event

The Academic Medicine Consortium of Arizona (AMCA) hosted its Future Health Leaders event on the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix’s campus February 21.

The fair — which served as a community gathering for families and students of all ages — was AMCA’s annual event committed to youth enrichment opportunities for students as young as elementary school to college graduates with an interest in health care.

Institutions such as the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix, the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, U of A Health Sciences, A.T. Still University, Mayo Clinic and the Alliance for Community Health Center collaborated on the event with the goal of providing greater awareness about the options Arizona students have if they feel called toward a career in medicine.

Francisco Lucio, JD, senior associate dean for the College of Medicine – Phoenix’s Office of Health Care Advancement and chairperson of AMCA, said the intention was to offer one space for people to come learn about different programs from health care professionals.

“The reason we created this event was to leverage all of the different kinds of expertise of all the medical schools,” Lucio said. “Everybody is interested in recruiting the next generation of physicians and health care professionals.”

Lucio hopes students attending the event leave more inspired with clarity on specific specialties or know what the road to medical school from high school entails.

Throughout the campus, students were divided into two groups: kindergarten through eighth grade and ninth grade through college. Both groups experienced breakout sessions that discussed different aspects of medical professions and were intended to spark curiosity for those participating.

The college’s Center for Simulation and Innovation was also utilized to act out various medical scenarios.

Renee Crawford, DO, a pediatrician at Phoenix Children’s, served as a keynote speaker for the event. Dr. Crawford knew from a young age that she wanted to be a doctor and spoke to the students about developing grit through practice and purpose.

“Having grit is crucial to achieving your dreams. It helps you stay focused on your goals, and it helps you when you face obstacles and setbacks,” Dr. Crawford said. “Sometimes, your research will not go well. The key is to, instead of dwelling, get back on the saddle and figure out what you can do better.”

Another notable session was the physician panel, where attendees could ask questions to practicing physicians. Among the panelists were Ekokobe Fonkem, DO, vice chair of Neurology at the college, Amanda Mihalik, MD, associate clinical professor and pediatrician at Phoenix Children’s, and Nafis Shamsid-Deen, MD, associate professor of Internal Medicine and assistant dean of Admissions at the college.

In addition, attendees could interact with representatives of the different medical schools in Arizona, pet friendly service dogs and try their hand at a life-sized version of the board game Operation.