More than 35,000 teenagers and young adults have participated in Michigan Area Health Education Center (AHEC) pipeline programs, which provide middle and high school students with opportunities to explore health careers and receive mentorship through hands-on learning. These programs aim to increase diversity in the healthcare workforce by exposing students from rural and underprivileged backgrounds to various health professions.
The Health Careers Pipeline Program (HCPP), a nine-week course for 9th and 10th graders considering careers in healthcare, is one of the key initiatives. The program helps students improve their health and well-being, discover new intellectual strengths, and encourages them to pursue post-secondary education in health professions. In the Western region, HCPP was led by medical student instructors from Michigan State University (MSU) and introduced 22 health careers to 40 students from 14 high schools in Grand Rapids. The Mid-Central AHEC hosted two HCPP sessions—one in the fall at Central Michigan University’s (CMU) Mount Pleasant campus and another in the spring at the CMU College of Medicine in Saginaw. Each session engaged 20 to 25 students from various high schools, who worked closely with medical student facilitators and mentors from CMU, Saginaw Valley State University, and Delta College.
Maggie Ludwig, a former HCPP participant, credits the program with influencing her decision to study neuroscience at CMU and pursue a career as a physician. “My continued participation in the program has solidified my passion for medicine by opening my eyes to the huge impact that medicine has on society and allowing me to make an impact on others,” Ludwig said after returning to the program in 2023 as an undergraduate mentor.
AHEC also hosted a pipeline program in the Thumb region for ten students from Ruth Fox Middle School, where participants learned proper handwashing techniques, vital sign monitoring, and the importance of Personal Protective Equipment. Additionally, the new Hands on Health simulation event, held at the Covenant HealthCare Simulation Center in Saginaw, engaged 50 high school students from six counties in a variety of simulated medical scenarios.
In collaboration with Western Michigan University School of Nursing, AHEC introduced the “All About Nursing!” program at Ascension Borgess Navigation Center, where 60 students from Kalamazoo Central and Loy Norrix high schools engaged in interactive learning experiences focused on wound care, emergency triage, and CPR.
This fall, in partnership with CMU’s College of Medicine and Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions, AHEC will launch the Public Health Pathways program, targeting 9th to 11th-grade students from Isabella, Clare, Gratiot, and Montcalm counties, with CMU Public Health students serving as mentors.
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