First Made for Medicine Session a Hit with Students
Dr. William ‘BJ’ Hicks
Learning on the weekend is not most kids’ idea of fun, but the group of 6th and 7th graders that piled into the CMA this past Saturday are not most kids. No, these middle schoolers make up the first-ever cohort of the Made for Medicine program, designed to support and increase the number of African American or Black students interested in the field of medicine.
This first class was all about the brain and was led by Neurologists Dr. William ‘BJ’ Hicks and Dr. Reversa Joseph, as well as Made for Medicine founder and lead faculty, Dr. Laura Espy-Bell. The participants first listened to a lecture to get a brief overview of neurology, how the brain works and what aliments physicians treat related to the brain.
After this presentation, it was time for some hands-on learning at the breakout stations. First, students went to the sensory station, where the group explored their sense of hearing (auditory), sight (vision), touch (somatosensation), and how to track a patient’s reflexes. The next station was about the Neurology tool bag, where the cohort learned how to do a neuro exam and use a panoptic ophthalmoscope.
Students learning about the MSTU
At the final station, the students examined a sheep’s brain while learning about the four lobes of the brain and what they control in the body. This particular station was a big hit with all the kids who were excited to tell everyone at school on Monday that they touched and examined a real brain. “The active engagement of the children and their authentic excitement about medicine is exactly why I created this program.” Said Dr. Espy-Bell, “My hope is that they see themselves in the African American physicians that are teaching them and that they truly believe that becoming a doctor is possible as a result of participating in this program.”
After the stations were completed, the students ended this exciting first class with a surprise visit from the Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit (MSTU), a specialized vehicle that’s designed to diagnose and provide definitive care to victims of stroke, and one of only 15 such vehicles in the United States. The cohort was able to explore the MSTU and learn more about how strokes can affect the brain.
This was the first class of a 6-week course that will provide an introduction to medicine and is only phase one in a three-phase plan to follow, support, and educate these students until high school graduation with the goal being that participants leave the program with solid preparation and commitment to pursuing a future career in medicine.
You can see more photos of this session here and you can learn more about Made for Medicine by visiting madeformedicine.org