College’s Mobile Health Unit team leads Youth Engagement for Success (YES) summer camp

This summer the 2026 Youth Engagement for Success (YES) Camp, led by the college’s Mobile Health Unit Phoenix team, guided young adults to learn about healthcare careers and the educational opportunities available to train for work in healthcare and health sciences.

This summer the 2026 Youth Engagement for Success (YES) Camp, led by the Mobile Health Unit (MHU) Phoenix team from the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, guided teens and young adults to learn about healthcare careers and the educational opportunities available to prepare them for work in healthcare and health sciences.

The weeklong YES Camp was held in Yuma, Arizona this summer, a small city near the US/Mexico border. Taught by the team from the college’s Mobile Health Unit in Phoenix, the camp engaged young adults to discover career paths in healthcare and health sciences. The students, all from this underrepresented rural communities, learned about a range of careers in the health sciences, from medicine to public health, pharmacy, and community health work.

All the YES campers said the camp met their expectations. At the beginning of the camp, they rated their public health knowledge as low, and after the camp they rated their knowledge of public health as high, so they learned all about the benefits of public health!

Alicia Hernandez, one of the MHU leaders for the YES Camp, saw the positive impact of the program. “It was a privilege to work with the young adults and teens from Yuma,” said Hernandez. “They have all faced barriers and challenges and continue to keep learning and pushing for their education. I know they will be successful and help their community.”

In addition to learning about healthcare careers, the students gained an in-depth understanding of the opportunities available to them in higher education. They had presentations from Johnson and Johnsons clinical research, the Zuckerman College of Public Health admissions and School of Health Professions teams, and the San Diego University Imperial Valley. During their field trip to the Phoenix campus, students participated in a workshop from the UA’s College of Medicine – Phoenix Office of Health Care Advancement, an interactive lab from the UA’s College of Pharmacy-Phoenix, a panel discussion from the MD/MPH Phoenix Program and the NOPAL Initiative, and a presentation from the UA’s College of Nursing-Gilbert.

Further, the YES Camp included a health screening training provided by the MHU Tucson team. After the training the students hosted a community health fair event at the MLK Center in Yuma, AZ where they invited their friends and families to attend for a free health screening.

The YES Camp was coordinated and conducted by the MHU Phoenix team, which is part of the Phoenix Campus of the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health. We want to thank the many other organizations that supported the camp including the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, the UA College of Pharmacy-Phoenix, the MD/MPH Phoenix Program, the NOPAL Initiative, San Diego University Imperial Valley, and the admissions team and School of Health Professions from the College of Public Health. We are also very grateful to our community partners including the Yuma Private Industry Council (YPIC), the Southeast Arizona Health Education Center (SEAHEC), Blood Cancer United, and the Onvida Southwest Health Education Collaborative (SHEC).