RIO RANCHO — While some K-12 students might be spending their summer reading vampire fantasy romance novels, a group of juniors and seniors from Sandoval County recently used so-called “vampire blood” to learn about medical science.
On June 18, 45 students from three local school districts wrapped up two weeks participating in the University of New Mexico Health Careers Academy, a training program offered by UNM Health Sciences to teach K-12 pupils about various medical fields to help them decide their focus in medical school and beyond. The students earned a program completion certificate.
The idea for the program, now in its sixth year, was floated by Dr. Laura Burton, director of UNM Health Sciences Rio Rancho Campus, after meeting with then-Rio Rancho Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sue Cleveland. Burton told Cleveland that UNM Health Sciences in Albuquerque had a similar program and asked, “What if we did something (in Rio Rancho)?” Their talk led to Burton creating a Rio Rancho area-based committee, which provided guidance on the specifics of the program…