CALLING ALL FUTURE DOCTORS: UCSF FRESNO DOCTORS ACADEMY HOLDS INFORMATION NIGHT FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

FRESNO – Eighth-grade students from Fresno County who are interested in enrolling as freshmen in the Doctors Academy Program at Sunnyside High School are encouraged to attend an information night with their parents on Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the performing arts theater at Sunnyside High School ( 1019 S. Peach Ave.) in Fresno. Current Doctors Academy students and parents will be available to answer questions and tours of the campus will be provided. Interpreters also will be available.

The Doctors Academy, which is sponsored by the UCSF Fresno Latino Center for Medical Education and Research, is geared toward students interested in careers in the health professions. The program specifically prepares high school students to become competitive applicants to four-year universities by providing them with a rigorous academic curriculum that includes experiences in research and clinical settings, service learning, and exposure to universities and colleges.

The Doctors Academy is now in its seventh year at Sunnyside High School. Currently, there are 162 students enrolled in the program.

Enrollment is by application only. Applications are available at www.sunnyside.fresno.k12.ca.us. The application deadline for Fall 2006 is Nov. 28, 2005.

For more information, please contact Diana Cantu, Doctors Academy program coordinator at (559) 253- 6715 or (559) 241-7676, or contact Sheryl Weaver, principal of Sunnyside High School, at (559) 253-6711.

UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program plays a substantial role in providing health care services to San Joaquin Valley residents and training medical professionals in the region. UCSF Fresno has trained one-third of Valley physicians currently practicing in one of the seven specialties in which UCSF Fresno provides training. Since its inception 30 years ago, UCSF Fresno has graduated approximately 60 physicians every year, totaling more than 2,000 to date. UCSF Fresno faculty and medical residents care for the overwhelming majority of the area’s underserved populations. In addition, UCSF Fresno educates about 200 medical students each year as well as provides academic preparation programs for middle- and high-school students interested in the health professions.