TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- A select group of high school students from across the state recently completed the 2007 Rural Health Scholars Program at The University of Alabama.

The program introduces rural students to college life and gives them an orientation to the need for health and medical professionals in rural communities like their own. They take field trips to rural hospitals and to one of the state’s medical schools and learn more about how to prepare academically for these careers. The students lived on campus for five weeks during the summer.

Chosen based on academic achievement and interest in rural health care, these students took two courses for college credit and attended campus seminars. The program is in its 14th year at UA in the College of Community Health Sciences.

The 2007 UA Rural Health Scholars included:

Barbour County Brittney Porterfield of Eufaula	Bibb County Ashley Leggett of Centreville
Butler County Andrew Jones of Greenville	Calhoun County Edward Chen of Anniston
Chambers County Molly Andrews of Lanett	Choctaw County Simone Ridgeway of Butler
Clarke County Chelsea Beverly of Jackson, Bethany Rush and Jonathan C. Clardy and Marshall C. Pritchett all of Thomasville	DeKalb County Jessica Bradford of Ider
Escambia County Caitlyn Luttrell of Atmore	Houston County Rachel Hudson of Dothan
Jackson County Jeffrey K. Cooper of Section	Lee County Cheyenne Flood of Notasulga
Limestone County Candace Hovell of Athens	Monroe County Melissa Mason of Mexia and Cassandra Huff of Monroeville
Talladega County Randy Nelson of Childersburg	Pickens County Clinton Pugh of Fayette
Pike County Karine N. Dickens of Brundidge	Russell County Quachetta Bellamy of Phenix City
Shelby County Michael Respinto of Alabaster	St. Clair County Bradley Watts of Springville
St. Clair County Lawrence E. Gros of Odenville	Walker County Ann M. Smith of Townley
Washington County Justin Garris of Millry

Students are pictured with Cynthia Moore, right, assistant director of the UA Rural Health Scholars Program, and Dr. John Wheat, left, professor of community and rural medicine in the UA College of Community Health Sciences

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.