Madeline Brown, a sophomore at Southeast Bulloch High School, has been selected as a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders to be held November 21-22, at the Paul E. Tsongas Center, on the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus.
The Congress is an academic honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The event honors, inspires, motivates and directs top students in the country who are interested in these careers, and it also provides guidance to help them plan a path and identify resources to reach their goal.
Madeline’s nomination was signed by Dr. Mario Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the Science Director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists (Academy). She was selected after an initial nomination by her Health Sciences teacher, Sharon Pye due to her academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.
During the two-day Congress, Madeline and other delegates from across the country will hear from Nobel laureates, National Medal of Science winners, and deans from some of the nation’s top medical schools. The interactive experience allows delegates to witness surgeries and ask questions during the procedures, learn about leading medical research, hear from former patients who are living medical miracles, be inspired by fellow teen medical science prodigies, and learn about cutting-edge advances in medicine and medical technology. The Congress is an academic honors program, and delegates have the option to earn a transferable college credit offered through New Charter University.
The Academy offers ongoing free services and programs to students who want to become physicians or go into medical science. These services include the following: online social networks through which future doctors and medical scientists can communicate; opportunities for students to be guided and mentored by physicians and medical students; communications for parents and students on college acceptance and finances, skills acquisition, internships, career guidance, and more. It was chartered to identify, encourage and mentor students, like Madeline, who wish to devote their lives to the service of humanity as physicians or medical scientists.
Madeline is taking courses in the Therapeutic Services, Allied Health, and Medicine career pathway at SEBHS, which is part of Bulloch County Schools’ Career Technical & Agricultural Education program (CTAE). This career pathway is one of 19 available within Georgia’s Health Sciences career cluster. Across its three high schools, Bulloch County Schools’s CTAE program helps prepare students for their next steps after high school, whether that be college, to begin a career, enter an apprenticeship opportunity, or enter a branch of our nation’s military. The school district offers 17 different career pathway courses in 13 different career cluster areas. Developed by the state of Georgia and the Educating Georgia’s Future Workforce initiative, CTAE leverages partnerships with industry, higher education, and national co-curricular student organizations to ensure students have the skills they need to thrive in the future workforce.
Sharon Pye is the instructor for SEBHS’s industry certified Therapeutic Services/Allied Health & Medicine career pathway. A former nurse, she began teaching courses in the health sciences field at SEBHS in 2001. Pye was the Health Services Teacher of the Year for the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education in 2019, and she is a former teacher of the year for SEBHS. Pye also serves as the faculty advisor for the school’s Health Occupations Student Association (HOSA) chapter, which is a national technical organization for students in health services courses and degree programs.
