Dr. Barry Mann; Chief Academic Officer, Main Line Health System; Founder, Annenberg High School Science Symposium and Health Career Academy
At the Annenberg High School Science Symposium, students from 16 schools select medical-related subjects, research them under the guidance of a Main Line Health adviser, then present their findings. Started by Dr. Barry Mann and now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the symposium is a brainy breeding ground for science-minded students from the Main Line area.
But what about students from schools that don’t have the technology or staff to provide science-enrichment programs? “These kids have different needs but can have careers in the sciences,” says Mann. “Instead of abandoning them, we created a different program for them.”
Health Career Academy is a three-year mentoring program for students from Overbrook, Lincoln, Chester and Martin Luther King high schools. For this, Mann has enlisted doctors and medical students from Main Line Health, Temple and Drexel universities, and Jefferson Medical College. “This is the only program in the country that creates a long-term, hospital-high school partnership,” Mann says. “If we can inspire them to pursue their educations, we can help change the course of their lives.”
