All resident class projects were/are conducted in the Charles R. Drew School. This is a K-8 school in West Philadelphia located at 38th and Powelton Avenues. Ninety-seven percent of Drew children reside in families who receive Aid for Dependent Children; eighty-three percent of these children are Black-Americans.

Class of 2001

Through the Drew Health Collaborative residents in the class of 2001 ran focus groups with the 6th grade students, their parents and teachers to define the top 10 health care issues of this group of early adolescents. All groups identified violence and the effects of violence as the top health issues for the Drew middle school students. The residents then developed and ran "The Second Step Program" a nationally recognized antiviolence program. Residents involved the Drew 7th graders, their parents and teachers as well as many prominent individuals from the city of Philadelphia in this program. Separate from the Second Step Program this class developed and taught monthly antismoking, dental health, nutrition as well as other health education programs for the students during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 school years.

Class of 2002

The class of 2002 family practice residents developed and implemented the PATH (Physicians and Teens for Health) Program. This is a problem-based learning, health curriculum for the middle school students. This curriculum involved Penn medical and undergraduate students as teachers/mentors in the various modules. Learning took place through electronic media as well as field trips to the local museums and libraries. These residents taught the 7th grade students at the Drew School to answer their own health questions through exploration of written and electronic sources. The class of 2002 residents measured the students' ability to transfer this "problem-based" learning approach to other "problems" that these teens might encounter in their lives.

Class of 2003

The Drew Teens and Health After School Program was institutionalized under the supervision of the class of 2003. The goals established for this after school program are (1) keep teens off of the streets and safe during 3-5 pm Monday to Friday which is the highest risk-taking time for teens, (2) run health-related programs for the Drew middle school students, (3) mentor Drew teens, (4) encourage interdepartmental-interdisciplinary service-based learning for all levels of learners within the Drew and university communities, and (5) establish a vehicle for future health team projects at the Drew School. During the 2002-2003 school year, the residents in this class supervised Penn undergraduates who taught sports and fine arts to the Drew 6th through 8th graders. The residents, themselves, supervised and taught a nutrition curriculum where Drew middle school students were taught to read food labels and select healthy from unhealthy foods as well as to eat fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.

Class of 2004

The Drew 7th Grade Health Classes were developed, coordinated, implementented and evaluated by the class of 2004. Through these classes all 7th grade students as the Charles R. Drew School were taught the 7th and 8th grade health curriculum as mandated and outlined by the Philadelphia Public School Districts. Family Practice residents in this class collaborated with the 7th grade teachers to coordinate the health with the 7th grade science curriculum for the Drew students. Weekly classes were presented by resident physicians and medical students from the Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine covered the anatomy, physiology, psychology, pathology, and pharmacology of health topics which ranged from drugs as medications vs. abusive substances, conflict resolution and respect for others, asthma, diabetes, hypermetabolic syndrome, obesity, and eating disorders, sexual health and human reproduction, the importance of literacy and health, dental health and more. Drew students experienced PowerPoint presentations as well as practial experinces of signing up for health insurance, calculating the costs in having and caring for a baby, using asthma inhalers etc.

Class of 2005

The Classroom Health Advisor Program was envisioned, designed and implemented by the members of the class of 2005. Through this program resident-teacher teams collaborated to bring a spectrum of health education to their individual classrooms throughout the 2004-2005 academic year at the Charles R. Drew School. Developmentally-appropriate health learning was stimulated during monthly classroom visits by the 2nd and 3rd year family medicine residents through hands-on activities, group learning sessions, question-answer periods, and field trips. During individual classroom sessions the Drew students were exposed to PowerPoint presentations on health issues of their choice, scavenger hunts in the local supermarket, participation in soccer games, tours of an ambulance, story time at the local public library, etc. Questions asked by students in their “Questions for the Doctor” ‘classroom box’ included issues regarding: body parts, prosthetics, plastic surgery, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, childbirth and childcare, diet/nutrition, hospitals, organ donations, and more.