North Shore-LIJ and Queens Intermediate School Launch Partnership to Promote Academic Achievement and Life-Long Learning
|
Program provides Springfield Gardens IS59Q students with hands-on, learning experiences linked to science curriculum
Science students from Springfield Gardens Intermediate School 59 in Queens (IS 59Q) may be following in the footsteps of prominent physicians and researchers at the North Shore-LIJ Health System, thanks to a new partnership to promote academic achievement.
Each week during the school year, sixth, seventh and eight graders ---- donned in yellow scrub tops (to match school colors), stethoscopes and identification badges -- visit North Shore-LIJ hospitals, laboratories and facilities to learn about various medical specialties, research and technologies. Lessons complement the New York City public school science curriculum and provide hands-on learning experiences at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, North Shore-LIJ’s Patient Safety Institute, Core Laboratory and others sites. The partnership between North Shore-LIJ’s Center for Learning and Innovation and IS 59Q seeks to serve as a national model for an urban school/healthcare provider collaboration that promotes continuous learning, improves academic performance; exposes adolescents to career opportunities in science and healthcare; and encourages students and their parents to develop healthy habits. At the same time, science teachers strengthen their expertise through interactions with medical professionals and researchers and through hospital-based internships. The initiative also stresses healthy living and prevention in the community through mobile medical clinics, health fairs, screenings and wellness programs.
“This new partnership will help create the next generation of scientists, doctors, nurses and other innovators in the healthcare field,” said Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, who spoke today at a news conference at The Feinstein Institute to formally announce the partnership. During their visit today to The Feinstein, seventh graders learned about the human brain and how positron emission tomography (PET) scans are used to diagnose Parkinson’s disease and other disorders.
“By providing students with extraordinary learning opportunities and showcasing exciting new technologies and the latest scientific discoveries, we show students the relevance of how we make a difference in people’s lives in healthcare,” said Kathleen Gallo, PhD, RN, chief learning officer at North Shore-LIJ’s Center for Learning and Innovation. “Our laboratories and clinics have truly become IS 59’s science classrooms and we hope to encourage careers in science and healthcare.” Carleton E. Gordon, principal of IS 59Q, said, “There is not a textbook on the market that comes close to motivating, engaging and inspiring our students and teachers, as the way this IS 59/ North Shore-LIJ collaboration will do.” “North Shore-LIJ and the Feinstein Institute are playing important roles in providing new opportunities for science exposure,” said Bettie Steinberg, PhD, chief scientific officer at The Feinstein Institute and dean of the North Shore-LIJ Graduate School of Molecular Medicine. Dr. Steinberg said that studies suggest that the way to promote new scientists at the university and graduate levels is to get students interested and enthused in lower grades. “Too many kids drop out of these careers when courses get more demanding in high school and college if they are not already ‘hooked.’” The IS 59 Q/ North Shore-LIJ partnership is supported in part by the Center for Educational Innovation – Public Education Association (CEI-PEA), a New York City-based nonprofit organization that creates successful public schools and educational programs. Contact: Betty Olt/Terry Lynam 516-465-2645/465-2600 |
