COM Expects High Attendance for Mini-Medical School

(COLLEGE STATION) – The Texas A&M Health Science Center-College of Medicine is hosting the 2006 Mini-Medical School this spring for Bryan-College Station residents interested in learning current, relevant medical information from some of the college’s leading experts. The first session kicks off next Thursday, January 19 and organizers are expecting a great crowd, with more than 100 members of the community already signed up to attend.

The purpose of the Mini-Medical School, planned for six consecutive Thursday evenings in January and February, is to educate community members on current health and wellness topics of interest to local residents of all ages. The program also serves to familiarize students with medical terminology, enhance knowledge of medicine and give new insights into medical research.

The Mini-Medical School begins at 6:00 p.m. on all six dates: January 19, January 26, February 2, February 9, February 16 and February 23. Sessions will be held in Lecture Hall 1 in the Joe H. Reynolds Medical Building on Texas A&M’s west campus. Students can attend informative lectures by outstanding College of Medicine faculty on stem cell therapy, cardiovascular health, health policy in the United States, the relationship between exercise and cholesterol, new developments in radiology and estrogen replacement.

“The Mini-Medical School allows us to invite members of the local community into the classroom to spend some time with our talented faculty,” College of Medicine Dean Christopher C. Colenda, M.D. said. “We are highly aware of our responsibility to educate not just our students, but our neighbors as well. This program plays a major role in our commitment to do that.”

All lectures will be approximately 45 minutes, followed by an open Q&A session. Mini-Medical School students are encouraged to ask questions at the conclusion of each lecture.

Parking for the Mini-Medical School is available in Lot 72 in front of the building and refreshments will be served. Attendance is free, but seats are limited so the favor of an RSVP is requested and recommended. For more information about the Mini-Medical School or to RSVP, please contact Brenda Long at 979/845-3432 or register online at http://www.medicine.tamhsc.edu/mini-med/index.html

Founded in 1977, the College of Medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center is committed to educating, training and equipping physicians who are compassionate about their patients and dedicated to the communities in which they serve. Located on the Texas A&M University campus and at Scott & White Hospital in Temple, the college utilizes approximately 700 basic scientists and clinicians to instruct students during the course of their medical education. The College of Medicine’s primary clinical affiliate, Scott & White, is ranked as one of the top 15 teaching hospitals in the nation.

The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center provides the state with health education, outreach and research. Its five components located in communities throughout Texas are Baylor College of Dentistry, the College of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology and the School of Rural Public Health.