About Our Program

The University of Chicago Heart and Vascular Center Mentorship Program aims to expose under-represented minority 11th and 12th grade students to exciting health care careers. The program will consist of bi-weekly educational sessions lead by University of Chicago Medicine health care professionals such as physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, medical technicians, researchers, health care executives and more. These sessions will include interactive presentations about health care and medicine, hands-on demonstrations and shadowing experiences. After a few months of introductory lectures, the program will pair each student up with mentors in the health care field of their choosing. These mentors will provide continued education and one on one experiences in addition to assistance with future career planning.

The program introduces high school students to the world of medicine, with a focus on increasing diversity and representation in healthcare professions. The program was the brainchild of Valluvan Jeevanandam, MD, director of the Heart and Vascular Center, and is led by cardiologist Bryan Smith, MD and Aaron Manewith, administrative specialist for cardiac surgery and the mentorship program administrator. 

To help launch the program, the HVC partnered with local community organizations, such as MetroSquash, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance and the Obama Foundation. About 100 students attended the open house for the mentorship program in October 2020. There are no academic requirements to apply for the program; students are asked to have a sincere interest in healthcare, submit a recommendation from a non-relative, and make a two-year commitment to participate in the program.

Fifteen juniors and seniors were selected for the program’s first cohort – all from local South Side high schools, including Kenwood Academy, Lindblom Math and Science Academy and Epic Academy (UChicago Medicine).