We provide in-person and web-based education and resources for teachers, students, and the general public—all designed to improve science teaching and learning, while promoting science skills and literacy, and general understanding of clinical and basic biomedical research.
The Center for Educational Outreach (the Center) in the Department of Education, Innovation, and Technology was established in 1996 to improve biomedical, basic science, and health education across the K–16 continuum and to increase opportunities for underrepresented populations to access careers in medicine, science, and the health professions.
Today, the Center provides in-person and web-based education and resources for teachers, students, and the public to advance science teaching and learning, promote science skills and science literacy, and improve general understanding of clinical and basic biomedical research. Through partnerships with museums, school districts, colleges, and universities, and through its own independently run programs, the Center addresses a broad range of needs across the educational continuum. In part through these efforts, Baylor is recognized as a leader among U.S. medical schools for its contributions to informal and precollege science and health education, and for its commitment to program evaluation and research on best practices for science and health education.
Our History
In 1972, a joint venture between Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Independent School District (HISD) led to the creation of the nation’s first standalone health professions high school: Houston’s High School for Health Professions. From the start, the school made local and national headlines, and in 1982, the Division of School-Based and Minority Student Programs was established within Baylor’s Center for Allied Health Professions to coordinate activities with HISD at the High School for Health Professions.
The new division quickly expanded upon its original charge by attracting extramural funding to create summer minority undergraduate programs and magnet health professions high schools in South Texas, and to build upon the college’s long-standing commitment to science teacher professional development. By 1996, the division’s growth, and its success in helping the college address community problems associated with educational and career access issues, led then-Baylor president William Butler, MD, to establish an academic program known as the Center for Educational Outreach.
The enduring success of the partnership between BCM and the High School for Health Professions—renamed the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions in 1996 as a tribute to pioneering surgeon and educator Michael E. DeBakey, MD, who frequently met with and inspired the school’s students—has inspired the formation of other medical school–high school partnerships; broadened the efforts of BCM and the Center to improve biomedical, basic science, and health education across the K–16 continuum; and increased opportunities for students to participate in health sciences education and practice.
Learn more about the Center for Educational Outreach
Curriculum Materials and Online Resources
BioEd Online and SuperSTAAR feature educational tools for biology and related subjects, including teaching resources, streaming video presentations, teaching slide sets, inquiry-based classroom activities, and complete teaching resources (PreK through grade 12).
Career Pathways
Our educational programs for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students provide pathways to careers in medicine and the health sciences.
Teacher Professional Development
The Center provides a range of in-person and online learning experiences for educators.
Our Team
Meet the members of the Department of EIT Center for Educational Outreach team.
Funding Institutions
Generous and continuing support helps the Center advance its educational mission.
Collaborative Partners
The Center collaborates with scientists and educators in a wide range of specialties.
