Dr. Damon Daniels answers a student's questions during one of the club meetings.

It’s lunchtime at C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia. Teens munch on chicken filet sandwiches while chatting about music, algebra homework, and Friday night’s basketball game.

For one group of students, lunchtime conversations take an entirely different direction, sprinkled with words like “pediatric surgeon” and “heart disease” and “blood typing.” Unusual for the high school crowd? Not if they are members of the C.A. Johnson Health Professions Science Club.

“The club is a natural fit with our practice’s relocation in the community in 2003 and the school’s need [as a math and science academy] to expose students to health professions,” said Dr. Damon Daniels, an assistant professor of clinical family and preventive medicine. In partnership with S.C. AHEC and the school’s guidance department, the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine sponsors meetings at the school two or three times a month.

Along with Dr. Patricia Witherspoon, Dr. Daniels coordinates the community residency rotation for the Family Medicine Residency. Involvement with the club at C.A. Johnson is a requirement of the month-long rotation for first year residents. Along with other health care professionals, residents share what drew them to the field and what their career choice involves. Then the floor is opened up to questions, ranging from educational requirements to salary expectations.

“One of the reasons we are doing this is that there is such a huge disparity in terms of minorities going into any healthcare profession,” said Dr. Daniels, noting that the intercity school has a predominantly low-income, African-American student body. “When these teenagers decide to pursue a particular career, they might not have someone in their family who knows anything about that. We try to provide the support necessary to work towards their goals,” he said.

The club meetings also address a variety of health care topics. A presentation on healthy eating looked at calorie counts in fast food meals. A discussion on heart disease led one student to question why his grandmother suffered a fatal heart attack. “We get a lot of family questions. Although they don’t always come out and say it, we can tell the kids are asking certain questions because they know someone with a particular medical problem,” Dr. Daniels said.

In addition to learning about career options and health matters over the past three years, students in the club have started to put their new knowledge into action. Members organized a blood drive at the school last year. Plans are underway for a health fair at C. A. Johnson in the spring, where trained students will conduct blood pressure screenings. Dr. Daniels anticipates more projects in the future.

At the same time the physician appreciates the educational opportunity that the club provides for residents. “When we teach cultural competency, the whole bottom line is that a person’s beliefs and culture influence how they manage health problems. This helps expose residents from other cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to different perspectives on how other people, especially young people, view their health,” he said. Dr. Daniels would love to see the residents’ experience at the high school establish a pattern they continue throughout their careers. “We hope it stimulates them to be more community oriented, wherever they practice – whether in a city or rural setting,” he said.

Reprinted from Connections newsletter, February 2004

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