Designing a high school research curriculum to promote public-health careers among minority students

BACKGROUND: A shortage of racial and ethnic minority health professionals is a major contributor to health disparities among populations of color. We describe an interdisciplinary research curriculum designed to prepare academically talented minority high school students for tertiary studies in the health sciences. METHODS: One hundred eighty scholars (82% are racial or ethnic minorities) participate in the Health Science Academy, a science enrichment after-school program located in ethnically-diverse Brooklyn, NY. Scholars complete six semesters of clinical modules, complemented by four 3-week Research Skills (RS) modules in their junior and senior years. The RS modules teach public-health research methods. Each RS module introduces a unique public-health skill: RS1 How to Ask a Question: critical evaluation of public-health literature to support a research hypothesis; RS2 How to Answer a Question: biomedical ethics and survey design; RS3 Organizing and Analyzing Your Data: data analysis and epidemiologic study designs; RS4 Communicating Your Results: public speaking and writing for public-health outreach. Throughout the four modules, scholars conduct a teen health behavior research project to apply these skills among their peers. RESULTS: Forty-five percent of scholars describe the modules as intellectually stimulating. Sixty percent of scholars report that public-health skill building was their favorite module activity; 35% agree that a RS module significantly increased their interest in the health sciences. CONCLUSION: An innovative research curriculum broadens perspectives on health professions among academically talented minority high school students-- an important step to increase diversity in the public-health workforce and, thus, reduce disparities.