The Wayne State University School of Medicine will conduct a Student Athlete Health Care Career and Health Disparity Research Conference in June to support student-athletes’ consideration and pursuit of careers in health care.

The two-day conference, which will take place from noon to 5 p.m. June 1-2, is open to high school and college athletes. The free conference will be conducted virtually.

“The conference's main objective is to increase the awareness of career pathways into health care among college students and student-athlete youth,” said Donovan Roy, vice dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the School of Medicine. “Student-athletes are a perfect fit for health care careers in that they possess skill sets similar to successful health care professionals and are well-suited to health care teams and performance-based cultures. They depend on team dynamics for success, are highly disciplined and motivated to practice techniques to gain mastery of skills, perform well under pressure and thrive in performance-oriented environments.”

The two days will consist of virtual 40-minute presentations with breaks between sessions featuring music and entertainment. Topics will include teamwork and communication with teammates, skills and practice techniques to develop and master skills, accepting and applying constructive feedback, thriving in a performance-oriented environment, tips and tools for discipline and performing under pressure, time management skills and how to perform well in the classroom.

Keynote speakers include Aaron Bolds, M.D., a former college basketball player who is now a resident specializing in Rehabilitative Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System in New York; and George Ekene Ilodi, D.O., an Internal Medicine specialist at Summa Health System’s Barberton Hospital in Ohio.

Attendees can expect to better understand the career pathways available in medicine and health care, how being a student-athlete has prepared them to be a competitive candidate for medical school and health care professional schools, why student-athletes make for good medical practitioners, the social capital programs that exist to help transition from athletics into the medical field, and summer and off-season opportunities for resume-building activities.

Reservations are required at https://rsvp.wayne.edu/1st-annual-student-athlete-healthcare-career-conference

For more information, email Denise Crumbey at ak2611@wayne.edu or Joseph Weertz at ba4414@wayne.edu.