Midwestern University is partnering with the BHHS Legacy Foundation to provide a $15,000 grant aimed at fostering healthcare career experiences for Valley high school students in 2021.

The grant will support Midwestern University’s spring and summer programs for high schoolers, including the Virtual Arizona Regional Brain Bee (5 p.m. Wednesday, March 3), the Virtual Health Sciences Career Month (April), and the Health Careers Institute for High School Students (July 12-16).

Midwestern’s Glendale campus is located at 19555 N. 59th Ave.

A live competition similar to a spelling bee, the Virtual Arizona Regional Brain Bee offers students the chance to compete for scholarships and other prizes by answering questions about the brain and central nervous system. Due to COVID-19 protocols, this year’s Brain Bee will be held as an online competition. Participation is free, and the winner will be eligible to compete in the National Brain Bee Competition.

The Health Sciences Career Month is designed for high school classes to attend online presentations created by Midwestern University’s healthcare professionals. Students will have the opportunity to view and participate along with recorded video workshops highlighting careers in osteopathic medicine, optometry, dental medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, biomedical sciences, perfusion, podiatric medicine, clinical psychology, physical therapy, nurse anesthesia, speech-language pathology, veterinary medicine, precision medicine, public health, and nursing.

For students who want to learn about health careers more in depth, Midwestern University will offer its annual Health Careers Institute for High School Students July 12–16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, either virtually or on-campus, pending COVID-19 protocols. Midwestern faculty and advanced students will teach workshops in anatomy and introductory skills for various health professions, with a special focus on how to prepare for college and what to expect from each profession.

Lab demonstrations, lectures, and interactive activities for this summer program will include current medical topics such as public health careers, osteopathic medicine history and diagnostic skills, advanced nursing degrees, physical therapy exercises, dental simulation lab, suturing and other surgical skills, and more.

The BHHS Legacy Foundation’s mission is to help community organizations improve the health and quality of life of citizens in need. To date, both the Foundation and Legacy Connection have invested more than $75 million to highly effective nonprofit projects, programs, and organizations that provide care and services to the underserved in the community.

Registration Dates and Information:

• 5-7 p.m. Thursday, March 3: Virtual Arizona Regional Brain Bee. Application deadline Monday, March 1. Contact: 623-572-3310, azevents@midwestern.edu. More Information: midwestern.edu/azbrainbee
• April: Virtual Health Sciences Career Month. Application Deadline Monday, March 15. Contact: 623-572-3310, azevents@midwestern.edu. More Information: midwestern.edu/AZScienceMonth
• 9 a.m.-4 p.m. July 12-16: Health Careers Institute for High School Students. Application deadline Saturday, May 1 (must be current junior or senior in high school). Contact: 623-572-3310, azevents@midwestern.edu. More Information: midwestern.edu/azhealthcareersinstitute