Pictured are Class of 2017 graduate and Med/Peds Resident Abraham Arhin, M.D., with his daughter, Ashley Jones, who is participating in this year's Medical Mentors program.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in collaboration with the Detroit Medical Center, was recently awarded a three-year, $100,000 grant from the DMC Foundation for the Medical Mentors summer program.

Now in its fifth year, the six-week program exposes students to medical careers through shadowing physicians. Seventeen students, including 10 high-schoolers, six undergraduates and one graduate, will experience three two-week rotations coordinated by program founder Patricia Wilkerson-Uddyback, M.D., F.A.C.E.P., '91, who is chief medical officer for Detroit Receiving Hospital and Harper-Hutzel Hospital.

The students arrived on campus July 20 to a welcome from School of Medicine Vice Dean of Medical Education Richard Baker, M.D., a tour of the Kado Clinical Skills Center and School of Medicine, lectures, a question-and-answer session with current medical students, advising sessions with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and more.

Students will rotate at those hospitals and also Children's Hospital of Michigan, the latter new to the rotation this year thanks to support from School of Medicine Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Lynn Smitherman, M.D.

"We also have added a research track for senior college students or graduate students. We have one student doing research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Perinatology Research Branch under Associate Dean of Maternal, Perinatal and Fetal Medicine Sonia Hassan, M.D.," Dr. Wilkerson-Uddyback said. "The depth of the program is really tremendous."