As we approach the end of the first semester, it's a good time to reflect on our accomplishments and plan for the future. We started the year strong, welcoming a solid group of freshmen into our program. Our PCC Medical Terminology course also proved to be a success, with students gaining proficiency in the language of medicine—an essential skill for their future careers in healthcare.

On the research front, all of our students have received approval from the LA County Science & Engineering Fair board for their projects, which means they are now cleared to begin their work. We’ve been coordinating these projects' timelines, with plans to kick off during winter break. This year, we have eight tissue culture-based projects, one engineering project, and one environmental science project.

Three seniors in the CARLOW program—Oliver Atkinson, Joel Solomon, and Jerry Liu—took their research, conducted in collaboration with the Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy, to two major professional conferences. They presented their work at the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA) 2024 Conference in Chicago and the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in Orlando. Their research, titled "Peer-to-Peer Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Training in Adolescents," was well received by medical professionals and researchers in the field. The students earned positive feedback for their hard work and were even featured in a Medscape article, a leading platform for medical professionals. We are grateful for the incredible opportunities provided to our students by Dr. Talia Puzantian. Building on this success, Dr. Puzantian and the team are in the process of publishing a paper based on their research, which is another exciting milestone for our program!

In late November, we were fortunate to host Jeffrey Balian, a pre-med student at UCLA, who visited our lab to meet with our students. Jeffrey shared information about the Holistic Care Organization, a club he founded to help bridge gaps in healthcare through service. He also answered our students’ questions about the college admissions process and the steps they should take now to prepare for successful college applications. It was an invaluable experience for everyone involved.

As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited to build on our successes. Our primary goal is to expose as many students as possible to healthcare by providing high-quality medical education. This includes teaching essential medical skills, offering college credit for health science classes through PCC, and encouraging students to give back to the community through volunteer work.