Page 19 - WesternU View - Fall 2017
P. 19
Rural health fair at a local Walmart. Photo by Michelle Steinhebel.
The Longitudinal Tracks are voluntary, extracurricular programs for COMP students. They
give their free time to meet with patients, teach cooking classes and travel overseas to
provide care to underserved communities.
“They come in on evenings, Saturdays and their lunch time,” Barnes said. “We spend a lot of
time together really trying to grow experiences. When we started the Longitudinal Tracks
programs, we had about 30 students enrolled that first year and now we have upwards of
350 students on both campuses enrolled. Each year we have to turn a significant number of
students away as we grow the number of programs we have.
“So for the future we’re looking toward growing programs in the areas of military medicine.
We’re also looking to add programs in biomedical/clinical research. Finally we’re looking at
health care leadership as a possibility, too,” Barnes said. “And these ideas really come from
the students and what they’re eager to learn more about. And the beauty of it is they help us
build each and every one of these Longitudinal Tracks Programs so they put their own
personal touch on them.”
Sherryl was diagnosed with glioblastoma in August 2016. She moved in with her daughter
and granddaughter for hospice care, and her family decided not to have any rules anymore.
Continued on page 18
17
The Longitudinal Tracks are voluntary, extracurricular programs for COMP students. They
give their free time to meet with patients, teach cooking classes and travel overseas to
provide care to underserved communities.
“They come in on evenings, Saturdays and their lunch time,” Barnes said. “We spend a lot of
time together really trying to grow experiences. When we started the Longitudinal Tracks
programs, we had about 30 students enrolled that first year and now we have upwards of
350 students on both campuses enrolled. Each year we have to turn a significant number of
students away as we grow the number of programs we have.
“So for the future we’re looking toward growing programs in the areas of military medicine.
We’re also looking to add programs in biomedical/clinical research. Finally we’re looking at
health care leadership as a possibility, too,” Barnes said. “And these ideas really come from
the students and what they’re eager to learn more about. And the beauty of it is they help us
build each and every one of these Longitudinal Tracks Programs so they put their own
personal touch on them.”
Sherryl was diagnosed with glioblastoma in August 2016. She moved in with her daughter
and granddaughter for hospice care, and her family decided not to have any rules anymore.
Continued on page 18
17
