UT-Houston Partners with Fraternity to Educate Teens

For the second consecutive year, The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston recently joined more than 500 sites across the country in Project Alpha, a program sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and the March of Dimes to prevent teenage pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The School of Public Health participated in the program by sponsoring an all-day workshop which addressed a myriad of topics experienced by today’s teens, for 39 male students from Houston Independent School District’s Westbury High School. Dr. Ronald J. Peters, assistant professor of behavioral sciences at the school and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member, spearheaded the event and led fellow fraternity brothers in educating the young men about their role in responsible sexual behavior.

"We hope these young men will take the information we have given them and diffuse it into the community," said Dr. Peters. "Everybody has to make a decision, and we want teenagers to develop their decision-making skills and be responsible adults."

Dr. Rahn K. Bailey, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the UT-Houston Medical School and a practicing forensic psychiatrist, addressed the group about sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Bailey, too, is a member of the fraternity.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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