In early 2021, the Department of Genetics has continued to support the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program at Harvard Medical School. Outlined in the letter of thanks we received is some of the invaluable work that HPREP does for HMS:
Because of the support of Genetics and the other Basic Science Department, we were able to admit 100 high school students (50% more students than we’ve ever had before) from the Greater Boston Area. Each HPREP student received one-on-one mentorship on skills such as networking, science literacy, and presenting research. We had 10 virtual sessions spanning several topics in science, medicine, and public health. Our programming this year included a professional patient simulation with HMS MEDscience and college preparation workshops in November, a discussion of coronavirus transmission with Dr. Yonatan Grad of HSPH and a DNA extraction lab using HPREP-purchased and shipped materials in December, and a dialogue on self-maintenance and mental health in January. You can see these and other parts of our programming in our monthly newsletters, linked below.