Health Science Academy
Championing Diversity in the Health
Professions
HSA is celebrating its 30th anniversary for the 24/25 academic year! Quiet an accomplishment for an afterschool program. Since 1994, the Health Science Academy (HSA) STEM pipeline afterschool program has served over 3,000 students including middle school, 9th graders, Academy (the 3-year program) students, and our alumni. For the Fall 2024/Spring 2025 academic year, HSA anticipates serving over 250 students, grades 6-12, and our alumni: the 3-year Academy (10th -12th grades), Academy Hybrid Learning (AHL) will serve approximately 145 scholars from 10 partner high schools; in Spring 2025, HSA expects to serve approximately 80 students (the Class of 2028 applicants) for the 9th Grade Bridge, and over 60 students for its middle school program with our partner, Walt Whitman Middle School.
For the 2024/25 academic year HSA’s Academy Hybrid Learning (AHL) will conduct all 10 weeks of the clinical portion (e.g., Respiratory System) of the 13-week semester in-person at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s campus. The first three weeks of mini-modules (e.g., Research Skills 1) are virtual classes.
To Learn More About the Academy and Apply
Since Spring 2024, AAIUH’s Health Science Academy has been among the first ever out-of-school educational programs accredited by Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) for the program’s ability to broaden participation in STEM. As a member of the STEM PUSH Network, a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research project, that leverages out of school programs to help students develop STEM competencies that matter, HSA is one of six programs that piloted an evidence-based accreditation process, to make sure these experiences count in Higher Education admissions for underrepresented students in STEM. The certification is a ground-breaking step toward making the out-of-school time STEM academic experiences HSA provides for underrepresented minority students more visible in the higher education admissions process.
Class of 2028 applicants (currently HS freshmen) to the 3-year Academy (AHL), please note that Part 1 of the application is due on Saturday, Feb 1, 2025. The mandatory prerequisite, the 9th Grade Bridge program begins Saturday, March 8, 2025. Note that the 8-session 9th Grade Bridge program will be conducted with all sessions in-person at SUNY DS on Saturdays, 10:00am-12:30pm. If you are a student at one of our partner schools, please follow-up with your HSA Liaison. If you are applying from a non-affiliated school, or you don’t know who your Liaison is, complete Part 1 of the application and we will follow-up with you.
Pushing for Equitable Futures in Higher Ed Admissions
“We are so grateful for STEM PUSH's leadership and guidance, and we are very proud to be part of the first cohort of STEM afterschool programs to get MSA accreditation,” said Dr. Mary Valmont, Associate Executive Director for Health Science Education at the AAIUH.
"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation." – Arthur Ashe
OUR SCHOLARS: THEIR STORIES
Dr. Keisha Barry
Nicole McLean, MPH
HSA Class of 2009
Howard School of Medicine Class of 2020
“The Health Science Academy helped me understand the factors that affect health, which have helped me in medical school, but it also made me identify and improve my study habits, taught me how ask for help and to collaborate.”
Marco Diaz, MS
HSA Class of 2008
Sportsball 2017 USTA 1968 Scholarship Recipient
"I am so grateful I had this opportunity...If I had one piece of advice for current HSA students it would be to really take your studies seriously and take advantage of all the help that is offered.”
HSA Class of 2009
SUNY Downstate University Med School Class of 2017
“The important thing about the Health Science Academy,” says Barry, “is that through being at Downstate you get to see a range of professionals working in healthcare and come to understand that there are many ways to serve.”
