Health Sciences Pipeline Programs

Focus on Health Professions is an after-school program that introduces middle school students to the health sciences through a series of presentations on science and math.

Students are exposed to biology, anatomy and chemistry through a number of experiments, investigations and dissections. Topics covered include: the heart, skeletal system, digestive system, brain, lungs, eyes and visual optics, ear and sound waves, blood types, DNA, cells and their functions and teeth.

Students also participate in discussions with Creighton students in the health professions. Students learn how to enter a health career and about different specialty areas. In addition, the program offers tutoring at local middle schools after school, with Creighton students in the health professions volunteering their time as tutors.  

The Middle School Initiative exposes students to biology, anatomy and chemistry through a number of experiments, investigations and dissections.

Specific topics covered are: the heart, skeletal system, digestive system, brain, lungs, eyes and visual optics, ear and sound waves, blood types, DNA, cells and their functions and teeth.

Students participate in open discussions with Creighton students in the health sciences about medicine and health careers and learn how to enter a career in the health professions and about various specialty fields.

Beginning Awareness Basic Education Studies (BABES) is a primary prevention program designed to give children a lifetime of protection from substance abuse.  BABES’ accomplishes this by assisting young people to develop positive living skills and by providing them with accurate, non-judgmental information about the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. This important information is presented in a manner designed to gain the attention of children and to enable them to develop a desire for healthful living and give them the ability to better understand how to protect themselves from alcohol and chemical dependency situations among their peers and within a family structure. They use delightful animal puppets are humanized to be like men, women and children we all know (including ourselves when we self-observe).

The target audience for the program is grade level K-3 (ages 5-8).  This program is meant to be a part of either an after school based program or community organization program.

Think you might want to be a health care professional someday? A nurse or doctor? Pharmacist?  Dentist? Occupational or physical therapist?  Learn what a career in health sciences would be like!

Spend at week at Creighton University’s Health Sciences Multicultural and Community Affairs Department (HS-MACA). Each summer HS-MACA collaborates with Creighton University School of Medicine, Creighton School of Dentistry, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, College of Nursing, and CHI Health to provide a health sciences day camp for community organizations.

Students are exposed to careers in medicine and provided a perspective of what is considered health science and the various jobs available to them in the many related fields. The mini day camp includes panel discussions with healthcare professionals, interactive hand-on activities, an insider tour of the hospital, including operating rooms, simulation labs, dissection and wellness activities. 

Contact us at 402.280.2379 or 402.280.3925 for more information and details on how your organization can participate and learn more about the many disciplines of health sciences.

Launched in the summer of 2012, the Sudanese Student Learning Initiative was designed to reduce disparities in the vastly growing Sudanese population in Omaha, Neb.

The Health Science Multicultural Affairs Office partners with the Darfur Association for Education and Community Services, Inc. to combat the vulnerability of youth by empowering them through education. Students meet for two hours, two days each week for eight weeks, at the Southern Sudanese Community Association and learn about mathematics and science as they relate to health disparities. 

The students also learn about the process of applying to and enrolling in college, and about careers in the health sciences. Activities involve learning about the skeletal system, brain, eye, cancer and infectious diseases, cells and more.

The Pipeline to Success Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) is a federally funded grant that provides students from economically or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity to develop the skills needed to successfully compete for, enter, and graduate from health professional schools.

Learn more about HCOP.

If you are a rising African American 9th-10th grader in Omaha Public Schools/Hampton City Schools this summer, you are invited to apply to the Engaging African American Students in STEM Education (EASE) Summer Immersion Challenge, hosted jointly by Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska) and Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia). In this paid Summer Immersion Challenge, you will learn from experts in the fields of neuroscience, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and public health in topics related to infectious diseases and pandemics!

What to Expect

This Summer Immersion Challenge is focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrichment and scientific communication skills. 

You will have an opportunity to learn directly from faculty members who conduct research in fields of neuroscience, physics, chemistry, and mathematics. You will then have a chance to develop social media material, such as TikTok videos, Buzzfeed articles, Instagram posts, blog posts, to communicate what you learned to a wider audience.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this program will be held virtually via Zoom.

Typical schedule for June 21 – July 2, 2021:

• 9 am – 11 am: Immersion Lesson with Faculty Member(s)
• 11 am – 1 pm: Student Project Work Time/Demo Labs/Simulations

Faculty

Creighton University/Omaha Public Schools:
Dr Eric Haas: Associate Professor of Chemistry
Dr Andrew Ekpenyong: Assistant Professor of Physics
Dr Shashank Dravid: Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Neuroscience

Hampton University/Hampton City Schools:
Dr Peter Njoki: Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr Francis Erebholo: Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Dr Insu Hahn: Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Education/Cultural Awareness Specialist:
Dr William Austin: Associate Professor of Teacher Education (University of Nebraska Omaha)

Eligibility

The EASE Summer Immersion Challenge is open to African American students entering grades 9 – 10, who demonstrate an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Space is limited to 10 students from Omaha Public Schools and 10 students from Hampton City Schools. 

Application

The application process includes completing the application form, which consists of writing an essay demonstrating interest in STEM, obtaining a letter of recommendation, and providing other necessary information. Applications must be received by April 23, 2021, in order to be considered.

Stipend

Upon completion of the Summer Immersion Challenge, students are paid a stipend of $200 for their participation. 

Questions?

Please contact Andre Tan at andretan@creighton.edu or 402-280-3925 for more information.

Apply Now

Omaha Public Schools

Hampton City Schools