Teaching Health Informatics in Middle School: Experience from an NIH AIM-AHEAD Pilot

Gregory Tardieu, Senait Tekle, Linda Zanin, Teri L. Capshaw, Alexander Libin, Qing Zeng-Treitler

Health informatics as a topic is rarely introduced to middle school students due to their age and insufficient background knowledge in computing and healthcare. At the same time, it has been observed that many students have lost interest in science and technology when they reach high school. Funded by the NIH AIM-AHEAD initiative, we embarked on a project to create a health informatics after-school initiative focused on AI. We recognize that students who identify as racial or ethnic minorities are less likely to be introduced to and less prepared for a range of STEM-H careers. Limited diversity in the life sciences and health professions has significant consequences for access to healthcare services. Preparing diverse students for the future "digitally proficient" healthcare workforce is fundamental to addressing health disparities, increasing cross-cultural communication, and positively impacting health equity. We acknowledge that students are more likely to thrive academically in areas of STEM- H when they have access to instructors from diverse races, ethnicities, and backgrounds who understand their experiences and perspectives.

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