Wright State, Premier Health hosting surgical symposium for high school and undergraduate students

The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine Department of Surgery, in collaboration with Premier Health Clinical Education and Academic Partnerships, will host its first-ever surgical symposium for high school and undergraduate students.

Designed to inspire and educate high school and undergraduate students interested in surgical careers, the symposium will take place Saturday, Oct. 26, at Miami Valley Hospital Berry Women’s Center. The symposium will be led by medical students from the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

It will feature hands-on workshops, interactive learning sessions and a panel with leading surgeons and medical professionals. Medical students will also present their research to attendees and a panel of judges.

The symposium will offer a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the world of surgery to more than 100 expected participants.

The symposium will welcome participants from local high schools, including William Mason High School, Trotwood-Madison High School, David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center, Northridge High School, Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School, Centerville High School, Butler Tech Bioscience Center and Lebanon High School, and Sinclair Community College and Wright State.

“Our goal is to make surgery more accessible to students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds,” said organizer Sheena Lunsford, a second-year medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine and president of Wright State’s Student National Medical Association. “We hope to spark a passion for surgery and show students how they can make an impact through a surgical career.”

The symposium will feature a variety of interactive workshops coordinated by Trevor Leon, a second-year medical student and vice president of the Neurosurgery Interest Group. The workshops will include intubation and resuscitation simulations, splinting techniques, demonstrations on external ventricular drain placement, suture knot-tying and operating room etiquette.

Students will also have opportunities to network with medical professionals and learn about what it takes to become a surgeon.

This event is guided by Randy Woods, M.D., associate professor of surgery and associate dean of graduate medical education at Wright State, and Kailey Nolan, oncology clinical trials project manager specialist at Premier Health.

For more information about the event or to inquire about supporting the symposium, email Sheena Lunsford at lunsford.29@wright.edu.