HS Students at Touro College in Harlem

Nadira Jackson, 17, far right, a student at George Washington High School in Washington Heights, N.Y., participated in an educational computer game on Monday, March 22, as part of the Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF) program. A hands-on, after-school educational project at the Touro College of Pharmacy, the HEAF program educates students about childhood obesity and diabetes, in keeping with the College’s mission of increasing educational opportunities in the Harlem and surrounding communities.  The students pictured are accruing points on the computer while taking care of a diabetic dog, using the knowledge they have gained in the classroom.

In addition to Nadira, other high school students from the New York metropolitan area participating in the program and pictured above are, from left, Angelica Morris, 16, Preston High School in the Bronx; Na’il Salahu-Din, 17, School for Legal Studies, Brooklyn; Mary Portes, 14, Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice; and Naeema Stennett, 16, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, Manhattan.

HEAF, which offers a year-round program, is a non-profit, supplemental education and youth development organization that helps familiarize high school students from Harlem and surrounding communities with different career opportunities, in this case pharmacy.  Students attend lectures and take part in projects, giving them a bird’s-eye view of various professions.  Reeshemah Brightley, administrative assistant in the College of Pharmacy, coordinates the College’s partnership with HEAF.  Dr. Shariq Ali, Chair of the department of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences, helps plan the educational activities.

The Touro College of Pharmacy, which has received candidate status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), opened its doors in Harlem in 2008.  The College is the first pharmacy school in New York City in 70 years and currently the only pharmacy program in Manhattan.

http://www.touro.edu/media/ .