Wayne State University’s School of Medicine graduated its first “mini medical school” class May 31. Made possible through a grant from Pfizer, the six-week, free program was intended to break down barriers between the academic medical center and its surrounding community.

According to Robert Frank, MD, associate dean for academic and student programs at the WSU School of Medicine and chair of the mini medical school planning committee, it was not enough for the organizers just to get a select group of community leaders to be a part of the program.

“We already do a decent job of getting governmental, community and business leaders involved in what we do here,” Dr. Frank said. “The driving question behind this initiative was, ‘How do we get the average person in our neighborhood interested in what’s going on inside these walls and how can we present it so that it has the maximum benefit to them?’”

The 90 program participants, who represented a variety of personal, cultural and professional backgrounds, were treated to lectures and seminars on topics such as genes, hypertension, aging, alternative medicine and diabetes. WSU and Detroit Medical Center health professionals – many of them nationally respected experts in their field – led the sessions.

Despite the plentiful medical expertise on-hand, many of the conference participants were struck more by other aspects of their experience.

Dorothy Kelly, an employee of the Detroit neighborhood city hall program, was awed by how much she didn’t know about Wayne State – despite the fact that the university is basically in her back yard.

“I especially enjoyed hearing how many minority students graduate from here and how many of those go on to teach at other medical schools,” Kelly said. “It makes you feel fortunate to have such an institution here in the city of Detroit.”

Chris Smith, an occupational therapist whose employer asked him to participate, felt that he benefited most from his interactions with other participants whose backgrounds were markedly different from his own.

Both Kelly and Smith added that they had been relaying information from their mini medical school sessions back to their friends and coworkers. Both expect that many of those they spoke with would attend future offerings of the program.

According to Toni Bowman, the School of Medicine staff member who coordinated much of the project, it is unclear when another mini medical school will be held, but the success of the inaugural session has given organizers cause to seriously consider the future of the program.

With more than 1,000 medical students, WSU is among the nation’s largest medical schools. Together with the Detroit Medical Center, the school is a leader in patient care and medical research in a number of areas including cancer, genetics, pediatrics and the neurosciences.