Multimedia Journalism – GENERAL ADMISSION – WAITLIST & 4 SCHOLARSHIP SEATS LEFT

Multimedia Journalism will introduce students to news reporting, interviewing and storytelling skills for print, broadcast and digital news outlets. Students will learn how to interview people, uncover news, separate fact from fiction, and engage a digital audience in a rapidly changing online environment. Veteran journalists who are experts in the fields of reporting, writing, audio, visuals, and audience engagement will lead students in training workshops to help them develop effective writing, research, and photography skills, and expose them to best practices for data visualizations and social media. Students also will visit a television news station to get a behind-the-scenes look into a daily newscast and meet UConn Journalism alumni working in the field. It will be an exciting introduction to nonfiction storytelling and the chance to learn techniques useful not only in the journalism field, but are must-haves in public relations, marketing and communications.

Students from diverse economic and racial backgrounds will learn about current events, the role of the news media, news judgement and journalism ethics. They will be introduced to nonfiction storytelling and give tools to sharpen their writing, research, and critical-thinking skills. Effective writing is the foundation of communication, and this course will help students communicate more effectively and clearly in their written work in the classroom and/or workplace. Journalism skills are necessary not only for reporters and editors but for those seeking to go into communications, public relations and marketing fields. Students will also gain experience using multimedia tools to gather and report news for publication on various platforms.

Pre-Med: Explore the Medical Field – S1, S2, S3, S4 & S5 – WAITLIST

Medicine is a long-term commitment that requires many years of training. Given this, many students find it difficult to decide whether medicine is the right career path for them. Through this one-week long program, students will gain insight into what it is like to be a physician. Students will have an opportunity to engage directly with physicians who are passionate about their work. Simultaneously, students will get to explore the state of the art UConn Health Center which is entering an era of unprecedented growth in all three areas of its mission: academics, research, and clinical care.

In addition, students will have an opportunity to gain guidance from UConn's Pre-Med academic advising staff. Moreover, students will be provided supervised transportation from the UConn Storrs campus to the UConn Health Center in Farmington. Students will return to the Storrs campus at the end of each academic day.

The UConn Pre-College Summer Pre-Med: Explore the Medical Field course will be taught by various doctors, professionals, and consultants from UConn Health. UConn Health is a vibrant, integrated academic medical center that is entering an era of unprecedented growth in all three areas of its mission: academics, research, and clinical care. A commitment to human health and well-being has been of utmost importance to UConn Health since the founding of the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine in 1961. Based on a strong foundation of groundbreaking research, first-rate education, and quality clinical care, we have expanded our medical missions over the decades. In just over 50 years, UConn Health has evolved to encompass more research endeavors, to provide more ways to access our superior care, and to innovate both practical medicine and our methods of educating the practitioners of tomorrow.

Each session will have a lead physician.

Shobhana Pathani, M.D

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

Lead Physician: Session 1, 4, and 5

Dr. Shobhana Pathani is a hospitalist physician at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She completed her training in Internal Medicine at the University of Massachusetts. She has a deep passion for teaching as well as mentoring residents and medical students which she explores through her work as a faculty member at the University of Connecticut. In addition, she plays an active role in the success of an annual university summer program centered around providing high school students with exposure to a career in medicine.

Jin W. Kim, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine

Lead Physician: Session 3

Dr. Jin Kim is a hospitalist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at UConn Health and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He also serves as Medical Director of Nocturnists, being a part of the medical staff since the inception of the nocturnist program at John Dempsey Hospital, where he plays an active role in the development of the night rotation teaching curriculum.

He received his undergraduate degree at Tufts University and his medical degree at the University of Connecticut. He then completed his Internal Medicine residency at Baystate Medical Center/Tufts University School of Medicine, serving as Associate Chief Resident in his final year, before moving back to Connecticut to take on his current hospitalist/nocturnist role. He has an ongoing enthusiasm for his role in teaching and supporting medical residents, medical students, and pre-med students, finding each stage of training to be vital in career direction and professional development.

Agnest S. Kim, M.D., Ph. D.

Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Non-invasive Cardiac Imaging and Echocardiography Lab
Director, Cardio-Oncology Program

Dr. Kim provides care to patients with a wide range of cardiovascular illnesses, including coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and cardiomyopathy. She has expertise in advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, including echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, cardiac MRI, and vascular ultrasounds. She has a particular interest in the cardiac care of cancer patients.

Dr. Kim received her bachelor’s degree at Yale College. She received her medical degree from Vanderbilt University. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital. After residency, she completed a fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Yale-New Haven Hospital, during which she also obtained a Ph.D. in investigative medicine.

Debapriya Datta, MD, FCCP

Professor of Medicine
Director, Critical Care Clerkship, UConn SOM
Associate Program Director, UConn Pulmonary-Critical Care Fellowship Program
Director, PFT laboratory, CPET Program & PERT Program, UConn Health

Dr Datta is a pulmonary, sleep medicine and critical care medicine physician at UConn Health. She has completed her medical training including residency and fellowship at UConn Health Center. She treats patients with a wide variety of pulmonary disorders as well as patients with critical illnesses admitted to the ICU. Her clinical interests include dyspnea evaluation, exercise physiology, pulmonary embolism and ventilator weaning and ICU outcomes.

She is actively involved in teaching medical students at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine during their clinical rotations in the ICU, hospital floors, and outpatient clinics. She also works closely with trainees- medicine residents and pulmonary–critical care medicine fellows. She is passionate about medical education and has won several teaching awards. She is also involved in medical outcome research and has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international scientific meetings to her credit.

George Y. Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Hepatology Section, and Herman Lopata Chair in Hepatitis Research

University of Connecticut Health Center.

He graduated with a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Rochester, and received an M.D. and Ph.D. (biochemistry) from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He trained in internal medicine at Harlem Hospital, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and received subspecialty training in digestive diseases at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has been a pioneer in the field of targeted delivery of biological substances specifically to liver cells, hepatocytes. He developed the concept of targeted rescue, targeted gene delivery, an immunocompetent model for HCV infection, and most recently targeted delivery of mitochondria. He has received numerous awards and prizes including the American Liver Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award, and an American Gastroenterological Association/Industry Research Scholar Award, American Liver Foundation Research Prize, American Gastroenterological Association-Gastroenterology Research Group Young Scientist Award, and a Chinese American Medical Society Scientific Award, was elected a Fellow of the American Gastroenterological Association, and the American Association for the Study of liver Diseases. He was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians, and was a Fulbright Specialist. He has received 10 patents, and founded two startup companies to commercialize inventions. He has published more than 210 peer-reviewed articles, and edited 12 books. He is the comprehensive editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology, and series editor for the Clinical Gastroenterology series published by Humana/Springer Press.

Jennifer P. Kanaan, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of critical care point of care ultrasound

Site Director, Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship

Dr. Kanaan received her bachelor's degree in biology at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. She returned to her home state to attend UConn medical school. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Rhode Island Hospital, Brown School of Medicine. Following a year at locum tenens where she worked in Alaska, California, and Arizona, she completed a pulmonary and critical care fellowship at New England Medical Center, Tufts School of Medicine. After graduation, she worked as an attending physician at Danbury Hospital and transitioned to UConn in 2007.

As an Associate Professor in Medicine, Dr. Kanaan divides her time between clinical care and teaching. She is passionate about bringing ultrasound to the bedside and has developed an ultrasound curriculum for pulmonary and critical care fellows as well as hospitalists. She directs a statewide ultrasound course for physicians.

Outside of medicine, she is a mom of four children. Her hobbies include cooking, travel, and sports.

Kevin A. Braghirol, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dr Kevin Braghirol is an academic Hospital Medicine physician at UConn Health. He went to UConn for undergraduate studies and medical school. He completed Internal Medicine Residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the site director for the inpatient Internal Medicine rotation at John Dempsey Hospital for the 3rd and 4th year UConn medical students. When he is not seeing patients or teaching, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, Nikki, and golden retriever, Larry.

Rebecca Andrews, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Associate Program Director, Categorical Internal Medicine
Lead Physician Internal Medicine Associates, Farmington

Dr. Andrews received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA before relocating to Connecticut for medical school at the University of Connecticut. She remained at the University to complete a residency including a chief medical resident year. Upon completing her residency, she practiced at a community health center where she served as the medical director and a member of the company’s QA/QI team.

She joined the faculty at UConn in 2009 and divides her time between clinical care and teaching. She is a Professor of Medicine and practicing Internal Medicine Primary Care physician with focuses on health prevention and high quality chronic disease management; chronic pain and safe opioid prescribing; women’s health; LGBTQ+ care; and healthcare policy. She has been recognized for her clinical care as one of Hartford Magazines Top Doctors. Dr. Andrews is the Director of Ambulatory Education and an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. As such, she is involved in the daily activities of the resident ambulatory clinic, mentoring, teaching, and increasing the quality of delivered care. She has developed several curricular innovations such as the office based medicine track, a business of medicine course, and a women's health track for future primary care. She is the director of the specialized primary care training tracks within the residency program. She serves as the physician lead for the Patient Centered Medical Home, the Connecticut Comprehensive Pain Center, and Internal Medicine Associates in Farmington. She is also currently serving as the Governor of the CT Chapter for the American College of Physicians and Co-Chairs the Opioid Task Force at UConn Health.

At home, she is a mom of two kids and has a long list of hobbies including creative writing, running, and photography.

Marine Biology – WAITLIST

Prerequisites: Two years of High School Science and Math through Algebra II with a grade of C or higher

Marine scientist strive to understand the properties of the ocean and coastal waters. This understanding will allow us to make decisions about how to protect marine life and sustain ocean resources. To do this, marine scientists make observations and collect data on plant and animal diversity, ocean temperatures, currents, chemistry, and geology.

This hands-on course will have you making these same observations both out on the Long Island Sound (LIS), along the shore, in the laboratory and on the computer. Over the week you will study fish diversity in a nearby cove and marine invertebrate inhabitants of our rocky intertidal as well as seagrass and seaweed populations. You will conduct plankton tows and study our campus tidal pools. Dissections and laboratory experiments will inform you about the physiology and adaptations of local marine animals. We will collect data on the chemical and physical environment using instrumentation and sensors. Highlights of the hands-on nature of the course are listed below.

By the end of the week you will have learned and worked with many different types of equipment and instruments. You will conducted lab work and instrumental analysis. However, the key to being a good scientist is to be curious and ask good questions. You will use math, test hypothesis and apply reasoning to interpret your data and explain your observations. You can then begin to answer some of these questions and generate new ones. This is the foundation of marine ecology. We will be using this approach throughout the week. Finally, we will converge all our topics, data and observations to develop a better appreciation of the marine environment and create a sustainability plan for eastern LIS. This will also involve the critical thinking which we will have incorporated throughout the week as well as creativity.

Our goals for you are:

That you leave the program with a better understanding of how scientists discover and explain the workings of the natural world
That you learn how oceanography helps us to appreciate and manage our planet’s resources
To understand that marine ecology is the interaction of marine organisms with each other as well as their physical and chemical environment
To appreciate that the survival of marine life depends upon our stewardship of the oceans
To always be curious and think critically

Dr. Claudia Koerting has been a scientist, faculty member and academic advisor in the department of marine sciences for nearly twenty years and she has been teaching at UConn for nearly 30 years. Her research at UConn has included marine benthic ecology, detection and ecology of marine pathogens and analysis of toxin producing microalgae but she now focuses on water quality. She is the undergraduate program coordinator for Marine Sciences. Currently Dr. Koerting teaches several undergraduate courses and mentors undergraduate research projects. Her interests and research continue in the fields of marine chemistry and marine microbiology.

Pharmacy: Being a Medication Expert & Beyond – 3 SEATS LEFT

Where will you be in five years? That’s a hard question to answer, especially for high school students. UConn’s Pre-College Summer Pharmacy: Being a Medication Expert & Beyond course can help students figure it out. No matter what area of pharmacy you pursue, the underlying theme of pharmacy practice is to help people live healthier lives. Whether it be in a community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy or the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists play a major role is assisting patients, clients and other health professionals in the proper use of medications to provide the best outcome for patient health.

A career in pharmacy is diverse and rewarding, with opportunities for patient care, scientific research and innovation. Our Pharmacy: Being a Medication Expert & Beyond session will provide students with an overview of the many career opportunities available to graduates of pharmacy programs and the path that they must follow to achieve their goals.

This course will incorporate interactive lectures, hands-on learning activities, learning key pharmacy skills, making drug products, hearing guest lectures and going on field trips to see innovative pharmacy practices! You will get a chance also to meet a few key pharmacy leaders and learn their journeys to successful careers.

Keep an open mind when deciding on what career or major option is right for you. There are so many specialties and opportunities available for pharmacists including working at pharmaceutical companies, state and federal agencies, insurance companies, uniformed services, hospital practice, community practice and academic pharmacy just to name a few. Pharmacists hold a unique knowledge and skill-set that is greatly valued by other health care providers and the public.

Students will be able to identify key roles of pharmacists in different parts of the healthcare industry, recognize how the profession has changed in recent years, compare how pharmacy is practiced around the globe, determine what skills are needed to be a pharmacist and give many examples of how pharmacists have changed patient outcomes.

Share greater knowledge of the healthcare professions and how pharmacy compares with other professions.
Communicate more effectively in college admissions essays how their interests fit with the changes in the health professions and pharmacy in particular.
Describe specific areas of interests in healthcare that interest them and why they are of interest.
Map out a strategic plan of how they will learn more about their specific healthcare interests through shadowing and networking.
Identify the exciting and rewarding aspects of how pharmacists can impact patient care.

Nathaniel ("Nate") Rickles is an Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs and Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. He received his B.S. in psychology and chemistry from Dickinson College, Pharm.D. from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, M.S. and Ph.D. in the Social and Administrative Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nate also completed a psychiatric pharmacy practice residency and is board certified in this area. He was inducted as a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association. He came to the UCONN School of Pharmacy in 2016. He taught previously at Northeastern University (Boston, MA) and Long Island University (Brooklyn, NY).

His primary research interests are to develop, implement, and evaluate intervention programs that improve community pharmacist communication with patients and/or other team members to subsequently improve medication adherence and patient safety. His research on medication adherence has explored measurement of adherence, factors affecting medication adherence, and interventions to improve adherence. Nate also explores educational methods to improve the teaching of communication skills. His primary teaching interests involve courses on communication skills, health promotion, cross-cultural health care, and research methods. He has published approximately 45 peer-reviewed publications, invited to present at more than 40 local, national, and international meetings, and presented 50 peer-reviewed posters or podium presentations at local, national, or international professional meetings. He had led and/or co-led several national, state and local research grants and continues to actively be involved in grants and publications. Nate was the lead editor on the third edition of the textbook Social and Behavioral Aspects of Pharmaceutical Care.

Biomedical Engineering – S3: & S4: WAITLIST

Prerequisites: High School Biology, Chemistry, and Physics helpful but NOT required

Biomedical engineering combines engineering, computer science, and life science to discover solutions to health problems, create medical devices and prosthetics, and treat diseases. Being such a broad field, the typical college freshman can be overwhelmed with the intricacies of the different sub-fields, how they relate, and most importantly, how to pursue a professional career in the field. This course is therefore designed to focus on these issues; it is an introductory, hands-on course that acquaints students with an overview of biomedical engineering, its principles, and real-life applications. These applications are found in medical device design, disease diagnosis and treatment, prosthetics, and the restoration of the functions of injured organs and tissues. Topics to be explored include electro-physiological measurement devices, human motion measurement devices, ultrasonic sensors, and 3-dimensional designing and printing.

After completion of the course, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of biomedical engineering and its role in the delivery of healthcare.
• Relate the broad biomedical engineering field to their interests and career aspirations.
• Demonstrate an ability to apply biomedical engineering principles to solve a real-life problem.
• Develop technical communication, teamwork, and critical thinking and analysis skills.

Learn about the state-of-the-art biomedical engineering research activities and how they improve our lives.
Learn about the prerequisite skills and knowledge needed to be competent in the biomedical engineering sub-disciplines
Work in a team to design and build simple yet functional medical device prototypes.
Use a computer-aided design (CAD) software to create physical structures for biomedical applications.
Communicate your technical results and data through an oral presentation and written report.

Patrick Kumavor is an associate professor-in-residence in the biomedical engineering department of the University of Connecticut. He received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Connecticut in 2008. Dr. Kumavor has worked on a plethora of research activities ranging from ultra-secure encryption systems to biomedical diagnostic instruments for early-stage cancer detection. He has also taught and developed new courses in Foundations of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Measurements, Bioinstrumentation, Bioinstrumentation optics, Junior Design, and Senior Design where some of the capstone projects he has mentored have been featured in news articles. In addition, he’s worked with several undergraduate students on Independent Research Study Projects and as the BME honors advisor, has mentored many students working on their senior honors thesis projects. Dr. Kumavor’s present interest is working with undergraduate students to stimulate in them a passion for science and engineering.

Pre-Law – WAITLIST

Oliver Wendell Holmes famously stated that “the life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience.” In accordance with this observation, our Pre-Law course provides high school students with both academic and practical understandings of the law, legal education, and operations of the American criminal and civil justice systems as well as appellate processes. This course may be of particular interest to aspiring legal professionals as well as to those who have a curious interest in current legal issues.

Students leave this course prepared to enter a pre-law program at the college level with a more comprehensive understanding of legal theory, constitutional rights, as well as formal and informal systems for resolving disputes in the United States. Participation in simulations throughout the week bolster public-speaking skills. Engaging conversations centering on current legal issues feed each participant's intellectual curiosity.

Study theories of the law and the U.S. Constitution
Experience legal education by being a law student for a day during our visit to the UConn School of Law
Observe the American criminal justice system in action by visiting a local courthouse and meeting with real-life judges and prosecutors
Assess current issues relating to the civil justice justice system, particularly in relation to environmental litigation
Participate in the appellate process by way of a Moot Court simulation based on a highlighted case in constitutional law

Dr. Kimberly R. Bergendahl is an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Political Science and also serves as its Internship Coordinator and advisor to Crime and Justice minors. A recipient of the 2018 Honors Faculty Member of the year award, Dr. Bergendahl teaches courses in the fields of Public Law, American Politics, and Political Theory. She has been teaching the Pre-Law course in the Pre-College Summer Program since 2017. She also served as the coach and advisor for the UCONN Moot Court Competition Team. Dr. Bergendahl received her B.A. from Southeastern Massachusetts University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. Her current research interests include the Senate Judiciary Committee's review of Supreme Court nominations throughout history, local and state regulations on environmental toxins, the influence that popular culture has on the law, and Political Science education and civic engagement.

Dr. Bergendahl has been active in local politics, including her previous service as a Justice of the Peace and on the Planning and Zoning Commission in the Town of Pomfret. A native of Rhode Island, she now resides in Pomfret Center, Connecticut with her husband, John, an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. They have two children, Thomas and Meredith, as well as a Beagle named “Marcie.”

Read more about Dr. Bergendahl in UConn Today

Learn how to report news stories with words, photos, graphics, audio, video and social media

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Is Medicine for you?

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Agnest S. Kim, M.D., Ph. D.

Debapriya Datta, M.D., FCCP

George Y. Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

Jennifer P. Kanaan, M.D.

Kevin A. Braghirol, M.D.

Narinder Maheshwari, M.D.

Rebecca Andrews, M.D.

Get your feet and hands wet and salty as you learn how marine scientists study Long Island Sound ecosystems

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Optimizing Medication Use and Safety- Learn Pharmacist's Contributions Across the Healthcare Industry

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Exploring the use of wearable sensors to record human motion and activities.

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Experience the Law in Action

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