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Community Health Course Partnership Receives Atlanta Partners for Education A+ Award
Morehouse School of Medicine and Thomasville Heights Elementary School Partnership wins A+ Award from Atlanta Partners for Education.
Community Health Course Partnership Receives Atlanta Partners for Education A+ Award
For the second year in a row, the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and Thomasville Heights Elementary School Partnership won an “A+ Award” from Atlanta Partners for Education. The MSM recognition was in the STEM category—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. The A+ Awards celebrate achievement and excellence between an individual school and their Metro Atlanta Partner.
This is the fourth year of the MSM and Thomasville Heights Elementary School partnership. MSM students from the Community Health course, which focuses on service-learning and is required of all individuals in the first year M.D. program, visit classrooms and work with students on a weekly basis. They serve as tutors and role models for children in the school from September through April.
According to Atlanta Partners for Education, the most significant factor in winning an award is the quality of the partnership activities and the impact they have on student achievement. Teachers observe the following benefits for pupils:
- Higher self-esteem
- Identification with successful role models
- Increased motivation to achieve success
- Enriched curriculum
- Awareness of career opportunities
MSM students also benefit from the partnership. Recently ranked as #1 in the nation among medical schools in the area of social mission, and with institutional goals tied to improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities while serving the underserved, this experience provides a community perspective for doctors in training. Sixty-four percent of MSM M.D. program graduates go on to choose residencies in primary care and more than forty-five percent of physician alumni currently practice in some of Georgia’s most vulnerable communities.
