In 2003, Mehmet Oz, MD, founded the nonprofit HealthCorps to train recent college graduates to teach children and teens in the United States how to develop habits that are crucial for their long-term health, both physically and mentally. So far, the program is running in nine states across the country, including California, New York, Texas and Florida. In 2017, more than 420,000 students in the United States were impacted by the program.
Most HealthCorps volunteers are recent graduates who were studying pre-medical studies or public policy. In fact, a study of alumni of the program found that 25% went on to careers in medicine or nursing, 23% went on to careers in public health or health care, and 14% went on to pursued a career in education.
“HealthCorps is based on the principle of the Peace Corps,” says Oz. “You take energetic college grads, put them in high schools across the country, and have them teach kids not just what to eat and how to exercise, but [also] how to be confident that they can have mental resilience in the world – that they can handle complexity. It's crucial, says Oz, to teach children not only healthy eating and exercise, but also the coping mechanisms they can use for any difficulties they may encounter in their lives. . “If they can change the world inside their body, they can change the world outside,” he says.
Related: Dr. Oz wants you to realize that your best years are ahead of you
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2018 issue of LadiesBelle I/O magazine.
