Students and faculty from the University of Mississippi and University of Mississippi Medical Center did their part to inspire elementary students last week at a medical careers fair in Clarksdale.  

"We are embarking on a bit of an adventure by coming to Clarksdale for this event," said Dr. Robin Rockhold, deputy chief academic officer for UMMC. "I see this as the start of a brand-new era in education orientation for health care. The mission of the Medical Center is to improve health for all Mississippians - we're just starting a little bit earlier than we have in the past."  

At Kirkpatrick Elementary, the inaugural fair was designed to expose students to a variety of health-care professions. The Schools of Health Related Professions, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Medicine and Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences were represented.

  "I hope that by participating in this event, our students receive a bird's eye view of what it would take to actually pursue a career in health or medicine," said Rasheda Barksdale, magnet resource coach for Kirkpatrick. "Oftentimes, our students only think of family medical practitioners when they think of health and medicine, but I want them to know about other disciplines that fall under this umbrella. I also want our youth to see that a goal of a career in health and medicine is attainable as long as they work hard and stay focused."

Medical Center faculty, staff and students will be invited to "Take a Break and Donate" when Mississippi Blood Services personnel visit the Medical Center March 30-April 3 for the quarterly UMMC Blood Drive.

The message for the drive is "Every Two Seconds, Someone Needs Blood." According to Renee Howard, administrative assistant in clinical lab administration who has coordinated the campus blood drive for years, nowhere is the slogan more relevant than at the Medical Center.

"UMMC is the largest user of blood in Mississippi, which means almost every one of us knows, will meet, or will hear of someone who needs blood," Howard said. "Our gift of donations will help boost the much-needed inventory of blood and blood products."

Howard said blood donation at the Medical Center has been in decline recently.

"The last few years, we have been donating an average of 600 units per year over four drives," she said. "We have done better, so let's get out and show our giving spirit."

All donors will receive an MBS T-shirt with the current slogan and a Donor Protection Policy with Mississippi Blood Services. Identification is required to donate blood.

Times, dates and places for the drive include:

* 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday, March 30, between the Guyton Research Center and the School of Medicine;

* 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, between the Guyton Research Center and the School of Medicine;

* 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, at the Bailey Avenue entrance to the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center;

* 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, April 2, near the Batson Children's Hospital entrance;

* 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, April 2, in the School of Dentistry lounge; and

* 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 3, near the University Hospital entrance.

Be sure to look for the MBS donor coach when making a donation. For more information about the blood drive, call Renee Howard at 4-2884 or send her an email at rhoward@umc.edu.

Online registration begins March 27 for the 2^nd Robert Q. Marston Symposium on Race and Medicine, whose focus is improving communication and cultural awareness among physicians of different races. 

The symposium is scheduled for 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday June 5 in the UMMC Conference Center at the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center. Beginning Friday, March 27, registration opens at www.umc.edu/celive, where more information will be posted as it becomes available. 

The ultimate goal of the conference is to find ways to resolve the state's health disparities. Hosted by the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi, it will include a light breakfast and lunch. 

It's free for Medical Center physicians not seeking AMA credit, $10 for non-UMMC physicians or $45 for physicians seeking AMA credit. 

Attendance at last year's conference is not a prerequisite, said Dr. Rick deShazo, Billy S. Guyton Distinguished Professor and professor of medicine and pediatrics. 

"But we do hope to build on what we learned from that meeting," he said. 

The 2014 session, the first of its kind in Mississippi, drew more than 150 UMMC faculty and community physicians, state health officials, medical students and community members. 

It explored the relationship between UMMC and the state's civil rights movement, the history of Mississippi's black physicians and health disparities between races.

For more information, contact Lynn Conerly at 4-1308 or lmconerly@umc.edu.

The Medical Center is proud to announce the following additions to its faculty and leadership staff: