Nicole Laing (right) returned from Yale to Howard University "with an incredible wealth of information" after her summer as a Yale-Howard Scholar.

Summer mentoring program for minority
students in research is expanded to a full year

A unique summer internship jointly sponsored by the Yale School of Nursing (YSN) and Howard University in Washington, D.C. has been expanded into a year-round experience, thanks to recent funding from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the National Institutes of Health's Center for Minority Health. Launched in the summer of 2000, the Yale-Howard Scholars Program seeks to interest more minority nursing students in pursuing advanced careers in nursing. The program offers mentorship, training and research opportunities designed to enhance the chosen scholars' understanding of the role of the advanced practice registered nurse and the importance of clinical nursing research. "The objective of the program was to develop a mutually enriching relationship between Yale and Howard," explains Margaret Grey, associate dean for research affairs at YSN and the Independence Foundation Professor there. "Indeed, the program is very much a two-way street. By combining YSN research experience and Howard expertise in doing multi-cultural and multi-ethnic work, the program benefits both institutions tremendously." The program was originally an intensive six-week summer internship in which Howard students formed a close working relationship with an experienced faculty research mentor at Yale. Each student identified an area of interest, and pursued that interest through hands-on research, seminars and shadowing of advanced practice nurses. Thanks to the new funding, however, the six Howard scholars who participated in the summer of 2001 have continued their work through ongoing mentoring from Yale faculty and the development of a student research project directed by a Howard faculty member during their senior year at Howard University. "We need to attract individuals of color to our profession," comments Larry Scahill, associate professor at YSN and one of the seven faculty members there who mentored Yale-Howard Scholars in the summer of 2001. "We also need to affirm that some of these young people should continue on to graduate studies." Scahill has continued mentoring Howard scholar Stephanie Mathis throughout the academic year, staying in close contact as she develops her research project, titled "Psychopharmacoepidemiology: Psychotropic Drug Use and Minority Children." Five other Howard Scholars are currently working on their senior research projects under the mentorship of Yale faculty. "After my experience as a Yale-Howard scholar, I returned to Howard with an incredible wealth of information," recalls Nicole Laing, a summer 2000 participant of the Yale-Howard Scholars Program who enrolled as a first-year master's degree student at YSN this fall. "Not only did I gain theoretical knowledge, but also the determination to take what I've learned into the community." Grey notes, "The Yale-Howard Scholars program is among the celebrated firsts at YSN. With continued support from the National Institutes of Health's Center for Minority Health and NINR, YSN has led by example, creating a successful model for other institutions to follow in developing partnerships to increase minority representation, and ultimately to reduce health disparities." T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Institute gives Yale $9 million grant Library invites public to share 'treasure' from poet Langston Hughes Yale Concert Band to present tribute to Cole Porter Alumnus' gift boosts international fellowship program Goizueta Foundation endows professorship, scholarship fund ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS Rolena Adorno is appointed the Reuben Halleck Professor Dr. Joseph Piepmeier earns Nixdorff-German Professorship Giuseppe Moscarini named Henry Kohn Associate Professor Yale Commemorates 'Profound and Compelling Legacy' of Martin Luther King Jr. MEDICAL SCHOOL NEWS Kessler to chair board of Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Study reaffirms valueof using bleach to rid needles of HIV virus Research suggests ancient theories linking moods with 'humors' . . . Scientists find similar risk factors for early, advanced breast cancer IN FOCUS: Needle Exchange Program Library exhibit pays tribute to alumnus and statesman Cyrus Vance Next Yale Rep play is humorous tale of a haunted vacation SCHOOL OF NURSING NEWS Summer mentoring program for minority students in research . . . New center promotes the health of at-risk populations Students will 'Stand Up and Dance' to benefit local AIDS organization Tribute to The Tiger's Eye recalls 'The Art of a Magazine' Gallery marks anniversary of major gift by recreating 1948 show Exhibit celebrates ways language and visual form express human experience Malbin Lectures to reflect on modernist art in America Opera is a tribute to retired professor Wexler awarded AHA prize for best book Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News|Bulletin Board Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page