An Urban School District-University-Industry Partnership to Increase Diversity in the Health Professions: Lesson Learned from the University of Kansas Health Science Academy.

Abstract

School-industry partnerships bring invaluable cognitive and material resources to K-12 but might inadvertently contribute to widening the achievement gap. Lack of social capital and industry connections make urban schools less likely to partner. This paper describes the University of Kansas (KU) Medical Center Health Science Academy, a university-industry-K-12 partnership designed to increase the number of underrepresented students in health science careers. Using data gathered from 1) meetings with stakeholders, 2) semi-structured interviews with key informants, and 3) focus groups with students, we present the features that made the process and outcomes of this partnership a success. Preliminary results from our pilot year show that students experienced a positive change in their knowledge and intention to pursue a health career.