On a frigid morning in Detroit when Lakisha Burton Willis, M.D., could have been enjoying some rare personal time off from her position as a pathology resident, she instead showed several groups of 7- to 12-year-olds around the human circulatory system and brain.
Dr. Burton Willis, a 2015 graduate of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, volunteered, along with medical students and faculty members, to entice children into the world of science and medicine during the 27th annual Reach Out to Youth event.
"I always volunteer for Reach Out to Youth when I can because it's critical to expose children, especially inner-city children, to health care professionals," said Dr. Burton Willis, in her first year of residency with Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center. "They don't have the exposure and availability to health care professionals, so it's important that they see in us what they can be. If we're going to increase the enrollment of minorities in medicine, they need to know what they can be."
And that's what Reach Out to Youth is all about: providing for urban youth a window into the world of medicine and proving to them that they can have careers in that world.
About 380 children signed up for this year's Reach Out to Youth, a program originally founded by Carolyn King, M.D., a 1993 graduate of the WSU School of Medicine, and Don Horakhty Tynes, M.D., a 1995 graduate. Dr. King continues to serve as an adviser for the event.
"We want these children to be immersed in the medical arts and sciences, and see that there are careers for them in those fields," said Dr. King, who grew up in Detroit and saw the need for a program that introduced urban children to the possibility of medical careers. "When you live in an urban area, you need to be aware of the resources around you and what those resources can provide. They need to see people who look like them and know that they can do that too."
The event, hosted by the School of Medicine's Black Medical Association, was called "Electrify Your Mind." Workshops for the young participants included introductions to healthy eating and activity, brain and heart anatomy and function, clinical medicine, and educational games with Stephen DiCarlo, Ph.D., professor of Physiology, and Heidi Lujan, Ph.D., assistant professor of Physiology. The students were also treated to lunch and photos on a red carpet, and completed their day with the traditional "Where Do Babies Come From?" presentation, developed and led by WSU medical students.
The day offered instructional opportunities for parents as well, with segments like "Preparing Your Child for a Career in Medicine: Navigating Obstacles," presented by De'Andrea Matthews, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; health screenings; a physician panel with Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine Eric Ayers, M.D., Anita Moncrease, M.D., M.P.H., and Ralph Williams II, M.D.; and Michelle Folden, assistant program coordinator for Fit Kids360 Detroit, of the Wayne Children's Healthcare Access Program.
Student organizers and volunteers appear to get just as much out of Reach Out to Youth as do the guests and their parents.
"I truly enjoyed organizing and participating in Reach Out to Youth because it helps to inspire young minds to not only get interested in medicine, but also begin to develop goals and dreams of upholding a wonderful selfless profession," said Joshua Rivers, a second-year medical student and president of the WSU Black Medical Association.
Rivers, who grew up in Detroit and was educated in the River Rouge Schools and Detroit Public Schools systems, is interested in a career in internal medicine, especially cardiology, and hopes to practice medicine in Detroit. "Programs like this are essential for the developing young minds of these children," he said. "Coming from an inner-city education system, I didn't receive a lot of exposure to programs of this nature. Reflecting back on my youth, I often saw myself in a lot of these children, filled with curiosity of the world around them. If these children leave here today inspired and excited about medicine, we have truly accomplished our goal another year."
Adam Milam, Ph.D., a fourth-year medical student who served as co-coordinator for this year's event, has been involved in Reach Out to Youth during his entire medical education at WSU.
"I think this is a way for us to give back to the community," said Milam, a native of Baltimore who earned his doctoral degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University. "These kids get to see people like them going into medicine, and hopefully it sparks their interests and leads them to other programs that will continue their interest and get them into medicine."
Milam, who recently completed his interviews and hopes to enter an orthopaedic residency in Detroit, said Reach Out to Youth also aligns perfectly with the recently adopted new mission statement of the School of Medicine. That statement mission includes the language, "We will educate a diverse student body in an urban setting and within a culture of inclusion, through high quality education, clinical excellence, pioneering research, local investment in our community and innovative technology, to prepare physician and biomedical scientific leaders to achieve health and wellness for our society."
Rivers thanked the sponsors, volunteers, the School of Medicine and the School of Medicine's Office of Diversity and Inclusion for making Reach Out to Youth a "wonderful tradition," one that will be around for "years to come."
And in those years to come, do Rivers and Milam, still plan to volunteer for the event?
"Of course," Milam enthusiastically pledged. "This is too important!"