Visibility and Voice Committee connects with Girls High students interested in health sciences careers

As young people in Philadelphia and across the nation head back to school, many high school juniors and seniors are beginning to field questions about their post-graduation plans. Whether that includes a community college, 4-year institution or trade training, the opportunities and possibilities vast. Here at PolicyLab, our researchers and staff understand the existential dilemmas many young people face when trying to make major life and career decisions. Many research career paths are often gatekept and can feel inaccessible to Black and Brown youth. We know that gender and race can impact feelings of acceptance and belonging, with students from underrepresented groups reporting more uncertainty about whether they belong in their academic fields than students from well-represented demographic groups.

As such, members of PolicyLab & the Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness’s (CPCE) Visibility and Voice Committee (VVC), a workgroup dedicated to promoting visibility and uplifting the voices of racial and ethnically diverse people while advancing equity, inclusion, and cultural celebration at the Center, hosted a panel discussion with students at Girls High in Philadelphia to share their career trajectories, detail their current roles and offer advice for students interested in health sciences.?

By connecting with the school's community partnership coordinator, we hosted a virtual panel discussion during two Anatomy & Physiology classes with 11th and 12th graders. Staff members introduced themselves, spoke about their backgrounds and gave information on how their careers unfolded.?It was important for the high school students to see panel members that look like them and who could relate to the struggles and obstacles that can befall many underrepresented students.

An open Q&A session followed, and topics of discussions focused on mentorship, volunteering, advocating for oneself, and normalizing feelings of uncertainty about the future. We then distributed a survey after the panel so that feedback could be shared. Overall, 64% of students that completed the survey felt the topics were relevant to them, and 77% felt that the event will have an impact on their future educational and/or career choices.?

Given the success of this first panel, the VVC is committed to hosting additional career panels with high schoolers, and we plan to give talks to college and graduate students. The VVC is also planning to give students in-person and up-close experiences with research and research careers by hosting research days with opportunities to shadow PolicyLab clinicians and staff. Connecting with youth in the community continues to be a major focus for PolicyLab, CPCE and members of the VVC.?The VVC hopes that illuminating careers in the research field will nurture the next group of “Breakthrough Makers.”??

This post was authored by Kali Hackett , Tanisha Belton, DrPH, MPH and Waynitra Hall, MS, CHES .