Twenty Shore Health System employees completed the Mini Med School program held for residents of the Eastern Shore. The purpose of the program was to foster awareness about medical research and to increase minority participation in clinical trials.

Medical oncologist Mary De Shields, MD, who is senior investigator and director of the Shore Health System Cancer Clinical Trials Program, led the Mini Med School in partnership with the Eastern Shore Cancer Research Network, Inc., and the Eastern Shore Area Health Education Center. The four-part lecture series was supported by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities/NIH Bioethics Research Infrastructure, Award Number RC2MD004761, Dr. Claudia R. Baquet, MD, MPH, Principal Investigator.

Over 100 people participated in the Mini Med School, which focused on the history and ethics of clinical research and how research has contributed to advancements in the treatment of HIV, hypertension, cancer and diabetes. The collaborative effort promoted cancer awareness, evidence-based methods for cancer prevention, early detection, health disparities research and the importance of clinical trials participation.

In addition to Dr. DeShields, Mini Med School presenters included infectious disease specialist Rosa Mateo, MD; family medicine specialist Michael Fadden, MD; Brian Childs, PhD, director of ethics and spiritual care for Shore Health System; and Patricia Commiskey, MA,  from the University of Maryland School of Medical. Claudia Baquet, MD, MPH, associate dean for policy and planning and director of the Maryland Center for Health Disparities at the University of Maryland, presented certificates to the 68 graduates at the final session.