Children ages 6 to 12 are invited to participate in Future Docs, set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 11 at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, 540 E. Canfield in Detroit.
The popular event presented by the Medical School Alumni Association is back after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All are welcome to attend the exciting day filled with fun and education, featuring 16 hands-on medical and science workshops, a photobooth, tattoo session, lunch and more.
The hands-on workshops are designed to pique the interest of children with an early introduction and appreciation for science that may blossom into medical careers.
Children will receive a commemorative T-shirt, backpack and other medical-themed goodies. All children are required to be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is now open. Click here to register.
View the 2020 Future Docs photo gallery.
Second-year medical student Matthew Corsi attended the event in early middle school with his father, School of Medicine alumnus Paul Corsi, M.D. ’94.
“I was fortunate enough to experience the Future Docs event twice while I was in early middle school (2011-2012), and from that moment on I knew medicine was the career path I wanted to pursue,” Corsi said.
He is the volunteer coordinator for this year’s program.
“The event was also very influential in that it drove me to attend Wayne State. The students and faculty at the event were all so accepting, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and it spoke highly of the community that the school fosters,” Corsi added. “Now being able to coordinate volunteers for the event and attend it as a medical student is a full circle moment, and I am excited to show the future docs what medicine and Wayne State has to offer.”
Future Docs workshops include seeing how doctors fix broken bones with implants, plates, screws and nails; learning about genes by participating in interactive activities like Tree of Traits, DNA in my Food, and DNA Crime Lab; enjoying fun activities like holding a human brain, molding a brain with PlayDoh and making nerve cells out of pipe cleaners and beads; staying healthy through nutrition and movement such as jumping rope, Hula-Hoop, yoga and playing video games; exploring the impact of proper hand washing on germs; pictures of your own heart, learning about the heart’s anatomy and learning how to keep your heart healthy; experiencing what it is like to run an emergency room in a medical simulation; and more.
Medical student Madeline Simone remembers several of the workshops well. She attended with her father, who is 2022-2023 WSU Medical Alumni Association Board of Governors Secretary Piero Simone, M.D. ’95, when she was 9 years old.
“I remember him being so excited to show me around the school and for me to experience different aspects of medicine with the medical students who were running the events. I can remember listening to heart sounds with a stethoscope and holding a real human brain. I also remember making a cast for my thumb and, once it was dried, having people sign it. It was a very fun experience and definitely piqued my interest in medicine as I continued on in school.”
Questions? Email Madison Mariles at madison.mariles@med.wayne.edu.