Project HEAL’s mission is to provide health and nutrition education to high school students from underserved communities, and aims to provide exploration of health professions and mentorship for high school students who are underrepresented among healthcare professionals.
The program works to eliminate social barriers to health and promote workforce diversity in the health sector to better serve our nation’s increasingly diverse demographic. Standardized health and nutrition lectures are provided to high school students by medical students and public health students, under the guidance of graduate school and high school faculty. These lectures are incorporated into the science curriculums of the students and aim to foster longitudinal relationships with students.
The lecture series culminate in a large health education fair held at the high school campus, where more than 150 students and their families are invited to participate. The fair consists of workshops and demonstrations that include, CPR instruction, interactive ultrasound demonstrations, nutrition and exercise education, as well as college and career advising. Project HEAL directly enhances community engagement by having UCLA students, residents, and faculty directly engage in health education for adolescents in the East Los Angeles community