(Aug. 26, 2009) The University of Colorado Mini Med School begins its 20th season on Wednesday, Sept. 16. One of the most innovative public education programs in the country, Mini Med offers an introduction to the science that forms the basis of modern medicine. The program, created by University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine faculty member Dr. J.J. Cohen, is now copied in over 100 cities worldwide. The eight-week course involves no tests, fees or credit hours. But those who attend regularly receive an unofficial “diploma.”
Lectures offered by medical school faculty and other experts include anatomy and physiology, cell biology, microbiology, immunology, pharmacology, neuroscience and cancer biology. Classes start at 7 p.m. with an hour-long lecture, followed by roughly a half-hour of questions and answers. Participants get a binder of lecture notes to follow, as well as audio-visual displays. Mini Med teachers work to make complex material understandable to those who lack technical backgrounds and vocabulary. But Cohen remains proudest of the fact that his lecturers don’t “dumb it down.”
In its 20 seasons, the Mini Med School has hosted almost 17,000 students. This year, the Mini Med School will host 10th grade students from the Aurora LIGHTS program, as well as their teachers. Aurora LIGHTS is a partnership between the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus and the Aurora Public Schools. It is designed to attract high school students to careers in medicine and science. The Aurora LIGHTS students will attend this year’s Mini Med School via a video feed to a classroom at the UC Denver School of Medicine. Medical students will attend each session to work with the teenagers and to answer questions.
Mini Med School originates live at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and is fed by satellite to locations around Colorado. There are two sites available for people in the Denver and Aurora area: One is on the Anschutz Medical Campus; the other is the live site in the IMAX theatre at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Participants must register for either site. Those wishing to do so may go to http://www.uchsc.edu/minimed/ Space is limited and both sites fill up rapidly, so don’t delay. If the site where you wish to attend is full, you will be placed on a waiting list. If you don’t have access to the web, please call 303-724-0348.