Program overview
Are you an Arizona high school student interested in exploring a career in healthcare? The mission of the Mayo Clinic Career Advancement, Research, and Education Summer (CARES) Program is to expose students to the whole spectrum of healthcare careers over the course of a summer and then provide them with a longitudinal mentorship experience.
During the program, you'll learn about the wide variety of careers in health care, establish connections, and discover the possibilities for your personal and professional journey. You can expect:
- Exposure to a wide diversity of healthcare careers and professionals
- Hands-on experiences in a hospital setting
- Motivation through the discovery of personal strengths
- Long-term mentorship opportunities beyond the program by selected Mayo Clinic mentors
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Video: Mayo Clinic CARES program
2024 program flyer
Click to download PDF
The program is based on learning your strengths and promoting wellness, to ultimately inspire you to become a future leader in the healthcare workforce.
View the 2024 program flyer.
Past programming
The Mayo Clinic CARES Program was founded in 2019, and has grown from seven to 40 students in 2022, with both a combination of in-person and virtual programming over the last few years.
- Class of 2019
- Class of 2021
- Class of 2022
- Class of 2023
To view the program schedule and speaker agenda from past program years, click on the PDF links below:
- 2019 in-person program
- 2020 (program not in session)
- 2021 virtual program
- 2022 in-person program and 2022 virtual program
- 2023 in-person program and 2023 virtual program
Program leadership
Program leadership
Cuong Nguyen, M.D., AGAF, FACG, FASGE
Medical Director of Mayo Clinic CARES
Associate Dean for Global Professional Education
Medical Director, Supply Chain Management
Associate Professor of Medicine, College of Medicine
Chara Pruszynski, M.P.H.
Operations Manager
Maria Molina, M.S.
Program Director - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Office for Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
5777 E. Mayo Blvd
Phoenix, AZ 85054
Mayo Clinic CARES Steering Committee
- Cuong Nguyen, M.D., AGAF, FACG, FASGE, Medical Director of Mayo Clinic CARES, Consultant, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Associate Professor of Medicine
- Barbara Jordan, M.A., Administrator, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
- Nicole Billingsley, M.B.A., Operations Manager, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
- Carlos Bravo, M.Ed., Admissions Recruiter, Office of Strategic Student Recruitment and Outreach, MCCMS
- Anikar Chhabra, M.D., Chair, Division of Sports Medicine; Associate Chair of Clinical Practice, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Consultant and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
- Blake Davisson, Operations Manager, Experiential Learning - Arizona
- Mary Sue Dumas, M.S.N., R.N., AMB-BC, Nursing Lead Arizona, Mayo Model of Community Care, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Instructor in Nursing
- Marcia Edwards, RACR, M.HR, Diversity Recruitment Specialist, Project SEARCH Business Liaison
- Brynn Goldberg, M.S.N., R.N., Manager, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and Instructor in Orthopedics
- Diana Guebara, Supervisor, Office of Access Management: Executive, Development, International, and Medallion
- Vicki Hochstetler, M.Ed., Operations Manager, Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences
- Janina Hogans, M.H.A., Clinical Operations Program Manager, Special Collaborations and Contracts
- Yoshika (Yoshi) Ikeda, Education Administration Coordinator, Office for Education Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Keith Jones, M.A., Program Manager, Office of Joy and Well-being
- Kit Kough, M.A., Program Director, Mayo Clinic Center for the Humanities in Medicine
- Shannon K. Laughlin-Tommaso, M.D., Consultant, Chair, Division of Gynecology, Associate Professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Associate Dean of Office for Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Yerronda Lewis, M.B.A., Program Director-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Office for Education Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Instructor in Health Care Administration
- Ron Mack, Diversity Recruitment Specialist, Workforce Development
- Maria Molina, M.S., Program Director-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Office for Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Farhia Omar, M.P.H., Program Manager, Center for Health Equity and Community Engaged Research, Instructor in Healthcare Administration
- Chara Pruszynski, M.P.H., Operations Manager, Office for Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Assistant Professor of Health Care Administration
- Patricia Rodriguez, M.S., CME Specialist, Mayo Clinic School of Continuing Professional Development
- Nicole Schuren, M.S.W., L.M.S.W., Pediatric/Adolescent Social Worker, Program Manager
- Sharon Torres, Program Director-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Office for Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Kairin Whiteside, CAVS, Director of Volunteer Services and Gift Shops
It’s exhilarating to see Mayo Clinic and the community joining hands to bring forward our best generations. A critical pathway to build the groundwork for further advancement of medical sciences. Mayo Clinic CARES is a mutually enriching experience for us all, and, more importantly, it is a wonderful way to build strong and enduring relationships with our learners and the community.
Cuong Nguyen, M.D., AGAF, FACG, FASGE
Medical Director of Mayo Clinic CARES
We are thrilled to be able to provide healthcare career exploration opportunities to high school students in the Valley. Providing access to health careers to all learners is something that the Office for Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has sought to accomplish for a long time. This program is fantastic.
Barbara Jordan
Administrator, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science