Reach Out to Youth, an annual event held at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, works to demonstrate to children that they can and should seek careers in the field of medicine.
This year’s theme -- "Carnival Cranium: A Spectacular Event for Neuro-Excited Young Minds" – featured exhibits and workshops on the human brain. Children explored the brain and ways to protect it while learning that they can study for careers in medicine and medical research.
Now in its 34th year, Reach Out to Youth is presented by the School of Medicine’s Black Medical Association chapter and the Student National Medical Association. The program introduces children ages 7 to 11 in underrepresented populations in medicine to careers in science and medicine, providing a dive into the world of medicine with the hope of developing an understanding that they can cultivate careers in that world.
Students explored medicine and science through a variety of hands-on workshops and activities presented by medical students and faculty throughout Scott Hall and the Mazurek Medical Education Commons.
The young visitors explored some of the basics of the human body through exhibits and workshops like “Anatomy of the Brain,” “Neurotransmission: The Basics,” “How Taste Works,” “Make Your Own Helmet Egg Drop” and others during the Nov. 23 event.
“We’re trying to expose young Black children to STEM (science, technology, engineering and medicine) to promote early onset of interest in the sciences,” said Kenneth Jackson, a second-year medical student from Detroit studying to become an anesthesiologist. He, along with Alexis Bowles, a first-year medical student preparing to become a neonatology specialist, staffed the “Anatomy of the Brain” exhibit, taking their young charges on a tour of the body’s master organ.
“I thought it important to be the kind of example I never had growing up, especially as an African American female,” said Bowles, from Brownstown, Mich. “And I like kids.”
In the “Protect That Brain Helmet Egg Drop,” the children selected from a variety of household items, like sponges, plastic wrap, pipe cleaners, rubber bands, egg carton sections and cotton balls to develop a protective cocoon in which to place a raw egg. They then stood on a chair and dropped their creation to test whether their egg survived the fall in the protection they developed.
Parents and guardians of the 211 children who attended the event heard from School of Medicine administrators, students and physicians on how to prepare their children for careers in medicine and developing healthy lifestyles.
The program drew student visitors from 91 schools (and home-schooled students), including Bates Academy, Burton International Academy, Cranbrook, Cranbrook Kingswood Girls' Middle School, Detroit Achievement Academy, Detroit Country Day School, Detroit Edison Public School Academy, Southfield Christian and University Liggett School.
Reach Out to Youth was developed by WSU School of Medicine graduates Carolyn King, M.D. '93, and Donald Tynes, M.D. '95, while they were medical students at WSU. Driven by their shared commitment to increasing diversity in the field of medicine and fostering a love for science and education, they established the program to make a lasting impact on the lives of Detroit's youth. The key to convincing children that they have the opportunity and potential to seek careers in medicine is fostering an environment in which they can see medical students and physicians who look like them.
Chelsea Kumi, a first-year medical student from Herndon, Va., took time away from her studies to volunteer.
“I already met a young girl downstairs who wanted to see someone who looked like her,” said Kumi, who is considering a career as a surgeon. “I showed her a photo of all of us after our first exam and she felt better. That made my day. This is where it starts.”