CIM Director David Hellmann still remembers the joy that lit the face of the high school senior. He had just presented her with a copy of the rheumatology textbook he had co-edited. Excitedly, she asked if he would pose for a photo with her holding the book. As they positioned themselves to say “Cheese!”, she shared why she wanted a photo: This was the first time in her life anyone had ever given her a book.
The young student, who had attended one of Baltimore City’s most disadvantaged public high schools, would go on to the University of Pennsylvania and later complete her medical degree at Penn’s school of medicine. What inspired her path to academic accomplishment? A program known as MERIT — the Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens Health Leadership Academy — which received early support from the Center for Innovative Medicine.
Launched in 2010, MERIT provides Baltimore students from underrepresented backgrounds a holistic support system, beginning in their sophomore year of high school, which is aimed at preparing them to become health professionals. MERIT scholars take advanced academic classes on Saturdays, work in hospitals and labs during paid internships, and receive long-term college and career mentoring.
Notably, 100% of the students who have completed the MERIT program have been accepted to college — at schools both near (Johns Hopkins, McDaniel College, UMBC) and far (Stanford, University of North Carolina). They have financed their college education by attracting millions of dollars in scholarships.
