Reach Out to Youth

Students from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine say they understand the importance of being exposed to medicine early — and recently set out to make it happen for area youngsters.

Reach Out to Youth was held Nov. 12 on the campus of OUWB.

Elementary-age students from Pontiac took part in hands-on experiments based on the theme of “Bacteria is Mean: Keep It Clean with Healthy Hygiene.” Specific topics covered included herd immunity, contagion spread, handwashing, and more.

Organizers said the overall intent was to get students excited about medicine and health care, and understand that they, too, could one day be doctors.

“This program is the first-of-its-kind in bringing elementary students and their parents to OUWB to plant the seed that careers in medicine are possible for them and to attempt to connect parents to resources to help their families be successful,” said Rose Wedemeyer, Ph.D., director of Education Training at OUWB.

Wedemeyer and other OUWB officials, the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), and the Reach Out to Youth nonprofit collaborated on the event.

Funding for the program was received from OUWB’s Passport to Medicine program, along with OUWB Diversity & Inclusion (which purchased white coats for participating students), and Reach Out to Youth.

“It’s all about the kids,” said Carolyn King, M.D., co-founder, Reach Out to Youth.

“We want the kids to think about their careers, and to see young medical students who are studying to be doctors,” she said. “These medical students are generally in their 20s…that makes it easier for younger kids to relate and see that a career in medicine isn’t necessarily that far away.”

‘Very educational’

The origins of Reach Out to Youth (ROTY) date to 1989, when King created the program as a first-year medical student at Wayne State University. Today, ROTY continues to host events at Wayne State, as well as Michigan State University and University of Toledo.

A trio of second-year medical students — Sara Tran, Suhani Gupta, and Nandita Kapur — brought the program to OUWB.

Kapur said the premise is straightforward: provide children in second through fifth grade a chance to explore medicine with hope that they will view it as a viable career path.

“We’re really excited to bring this program (to OUWB) because it’s one of the first elementary school kids’ program at OUWB,” said Kapur. “We’re hoping that with our first launch event, we can have it go on for years.”

Wedemeyer said she and other OUWB officials were supportive of the idea because it’s consistent with OUWB’s approach to introducing its medical students to a number of different populations.

For the inaugural version held at OUWB, several stations were set up in O’Dowd Hall. Medical students ran the various sessions. In one room, students learned about mucus and germs by making slime. In another room, students learned about herd immunity through a visual analogy of a herd of horses with the assistance of their instructor, Kevin Van, who donned an inflatable horse costume to drive the point home.

“It was fun…I learned a lot of stuff,” said Cinsere, one of the elementary-age students who participated. “Everyone should definitely come here.”

While students were learning, family members of the elementary-age students took part in a program held in one of the school’s lecture halls in O’Dowd. Various experts talked on topics such as mindfulness, and told them about various resources that are available to them, including financial aid for college.

Iris Johnson brought five youngsters to the event.

“It was very educational,” she said. “There was a lot of stuff I didn’t know and now I do.”

That, combined with the fact that the program will be different every year, has Johnson looking ahead.

“We’ll definitely be back next year,” she said.

Reaya Richardson, who is a chemist, wanted to attend the event to show her son about the sciences.

“It’s something to get him into, hands-on,” she said. “As a chemist, I can’t show him everything I do.”

Richardson’s main takeaway from the event was that there are opportunities available to children of her son’s age.

“Most science programs are usually geared towards middle school and high school kids, not elementary school,” she said. “I like that it was open to elementary students.”

Carolyn King, M.D., co-founder, Reach Out to Youth, speaks at OUWB on Nov. 12. (Photo by Andrew Dietderich)

Medical students make it happen

OUWB medical students involved with ROTY said the program is near and dear to them.

Tran said when she was younger, she had limited exposure to possible careers in medicine and health care.

“Being able to create this program, inspiring kids at a young age, and fostering that kind of interest is really powerful,” she said. “From personal experience, I know that many don’t get this kind of exposure.”

Similarly, Gupta said her first experiences with medicine were as a patient, and in a high school pipeline program.

“Working with elementary school kids is really powerful, especially those who come from underserved areas because they might not have the opportunities or resources to explore these things outside of school,” she said.

Others shared similar sentiments.

“I wish I had something like this when I was growing up, because I didn’t know that I wanted to do medicine until pretty later on,” said Vicky Lu, M1. “I just wanted to find a way to get kids kind of excited about the things that I’m also passionate [about].”

Kyara Sosa, M1, said the event was a reminder of what being a medical student is about.

“When you’re just in the books, you forget why you’re even ‘being in the books’ in the first place,” she said. “So, I think doing something like this helps me at least remember why I wanted to do medicine in the first place.”

Chloe Kukuk contributed to this story.