MedStart: A Hands‐on Anatomical Experience for Middle School Students

Abstract

The goal of MedStart, a medical student run, week‐long science education summer camp, is to provide East Harlem middle school students with an appreciation of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal system disease pathogenesis, treatment and prevention. Introducing students to the anatomical basis of health and disease is a vital component of our program. MedStart takes an interactive approach to education, dividing the camp up into five segments—vital signs, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and CPR/first aid—with strong hands‐on components during the organ system‐based days. In the summer of 2012 our program conducted a series of activities in which campers were able to examine manually normal and pathologic human cadaveric hearts, lungs, stomachs, intestines, and livers, in small group sessions led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine medical and graduate students. Campers were given assessments before and after the camp, which, in previous summers, have demonstrated increased knowledge gains in the organ systems we focused on. Along with its other hands‐on activities, MedStart is working to increase health knowledge and empower East Harlem youth to take control of their own health.Grant Funding Source: American Association of Anatomists Educational Outreach Grant