Campbell University invites community members to register for their Mini Medical School program. Participants will meet for class in-person at Campbell University on Thursday evenings starting March 23 and the course runs through May 4. 

The Mini Medical School program was created in 2015 to give the community awareness that there is a medical school that is strategically placed there in their rural community. 

Campbell University’s Shool of Osteopathic Medicine Chair of Community and Global Health Joseph Cacioppo expressed his joy in being able to offer this program to the community. “Just knowing that people become aware and they report back to us about the fact that ‘Gee, I didn’t know that you did all this stuff’ and their enthusiasm for what we are doing. I think that’s the thing that’s really rewarding…” shared Cacioppo. 

The program is not reserved for individuals looking to pursue a career in medicine, rather it is targeted to all members of the community so that they can get a glimpse into the medical education Campbell offers. 

The classes are taught by different professors from the school and incorporate hands-on learning. Some of the sessions will allow participants to work in the campus labs. Participants are also exposed to a larger network of individuals with an interest in healthcare. 

“…we have this huge gap in health care providers in North Carolina, especially in rural North Carolina, for example, in Harnett County, there are 4.17 positions for every 10,000 people. A huge, huge gap, huge need. And so statistically we see that if we can recruit them from here, train them here, then we can see a likelihood of within a 25 mile radius 30 percent staying here and then within a 100 mile radius 60 something percent, so we can hopefully fill that gap and that shortage and that’s why the school was started here, to help fill that gap,” commented Cacioppo.

Questions and RSVP’s can be sent to Kristin Johnson at kljohnson@campbell.edu or addressed over the phone by calling 910-893-7982.