GHSU Mini-Medical School

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Spring 2012

Fall 2011

Spring 2011

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A Community Outreach Program of the
Georgia Health Sciences University
Medical College of Georgia

Program Features:

• Physicians sharing knowledge with the general public
• Open, comfortable forum
• Creates more educated patients
• Relevant and affordable

OVERVIEW

With a growing recognition that institutions of higher education have an obligation to be good citizens, more than 80 Mini-Medical School programs are now serving communities nationwide. The first such program in the country, at the University of Denver, fills to capacity every year; more than 500 people regularly attend the program at Emory University in Atlanta; and the inaugural program at the GHSU Medical College of Georgia in Augusta drew more than three times the expected number of participants.

The Mini-Medical School enables physicians to share knowledge with the general public in an open, comfortable forum, free of the constraints of schedules, managed care and the anxiety that often accompanies a visit to the doctor. We believe this makes for better physicians and more educated patients. Above all, we offer education and understanding to the community. By building an awareness of medical science, we help people make informed choices about their own health and the health of their families.

With the amount of health news in the media and with continuing changes in our health care system, individuals and families are under increasing pressure to interpret medical information on their own. Our goal is to enable members of our community to benefit from the medical knowledge and expertise we have right here in Augusta.

Our participants range in age from high school students to seniors in their 80s and represent most professions in the Augusta area.

Each session of Mini-Medical School consists of six consecutive Tuesday evening lectures with supporting materials and visual presentations lasting two hours. The all-volunteer faculty is truly impressive. Our highly enthusiastic physicians recognize the need for informing the public, and they enjoy interacting with the community. Each evening’s program spotlights a medical topic of interest to the public.

Question-and-answer time is allotted, which always generates vigorous participation. Light refreshments are served during the mid-evening break.

This program fills a very important need in our community by bridging an ever-widening gap between health care systems and the people they serve. Every participant, and by extension, their families, gain the knowledge and understanding they need to help them feel more confident and comfortable when seeking medical care and making important health decisions.

COURSE DIRECTOR
Alan Roberts, M.D., Associate Professor, Section of General Internal Medicine, Medical College of Georgia

LOCATION 
Georgia Health Sciences University
College of Dental Medicine Auditorium, Room AD 1020

CREDIT
This activity includes 12 hours of instruction and attendance at the entire activity is approved by the Georgia Health Sciences University for 1.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

GRADUATION
Students attending at least four sessions will receive a certificate of achievement