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Presidential Scholars Day April 25 by Cindy Abole Public Relations Last spring, MUSC’s Presidential Scholars Program was launched to help stimulate interdisciplinary interaction at MUSC and engage students in the study of broad healthcare issues that transcend their individual disciplines. The 2001-2002 class focused on the goals of the Healthy People 2010 national initiative, specifically the issue of eliminating health disparities. On April 25, MUSC’s campus and Charleston community will celebrate their program’s results during Presidential Scholars Day.  As part of the program, students will share their interdisciplinary team outcomes through poster presentations on specific disparity topics including cancer, HIV-Aids, lead poisoning and other health issues. The scholars will be honored at a recognition program that will be held at the Institute of Psychiatry Auditorium.  Dr. Ronald L. Braithwaite MUSC President Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., will welcome and introduce the event’s keynote speaker, Emory minority health specialist Ronald L. Braithwaite, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Research on Health Disparities at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. A writer of more than 75 peer-reviewed journals and publications, Braithwaite is also  co-editor of the book, Health Issues in the Black Community. He also co-authored another publication,  Prisons and AIDS: A Public Health Challenge. A final discussion will focus on a global, reflective view of specific healthcare disparities and possible solutions. “This day will be a celebration of the work and efforts of our presidential scholars and their dedication as a group to studying important healthcare issues like access to care,” said Valerie West, Ph.D., associate provost for educational programs and director of the Presidential Scholars Program. “We’re also pleased to have a person of Dr. Braithwaite’s stature to speak to the scholars, MUSC community and guests and share his expertise concerning health care disparities.” Scholars Ricky Choi, left, Antoinette Bennett, Constantine Copses, and Kamini Talati meet in small mulitdisciplinary teams throughout the year. The event will end with a presentation of next year’s class of MUSC Presidential Scholars, who were recently selected by the program’s faculty and current members from the scholars group.  For more information about the Presidential Scholars Program, visit the Web site at http://www2.edserv.musc.edu/scholars/scholars.htm.