Annual Mini Medical School Highlights Healthcare Career Paths for Students

 The Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM) offered its annual Mini Medical School on the Downers Grove Campus. For five weeks, 150 first and second-year CCOM students volunteered, organized and led instructive sessions, mentored 100 local high school and college students, and led them along their journey of learning and exploring various options in the healthcare field. The attendees acquired knowledge about a variety of topics including cardiology and pulmonology, public health, neurology, orthopedics, family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and OB/GYN. 

George Borrelli, D.O., Chair, Clinical Integration, CCOM, congratulated the local students for their attendance, participation, and hard work on their poster presentations. Dr. Borrelli offered the students valuable advice as they begin their future educational and career paths. He emphasized the importance of the participants to be authentic, the best version of themselves, to carry themselves with dignity, and to be proud of their accomplishments. He also inspired the students saying, “Never doubt that your ability can’t carry you through the hardest parts of your journey because you’re going to run into obstacles and doubters, people who say you can’t do this. But it’s important to believe in yourself, always have the confidence to say I can get over that obstacle, and I can make it all the way through my journey.” He also advised the students to keep moving forward if they experience failure, or if something does not work out. 

Medical student Bella Xuechen Yu (CCOM ’27), president of the Mini Medical School Club, said, “A lot of my colleagues would agree that they wouldn’t be here today without mentors and help from their friends and family to get through the application process. I think everyone involved with Mini Medical School hoped to be that person for the participants.”

Bella emphasized the importance of mentorship for the attendees. “We’re hoping they will get an idea of what it’s like to be in medical school, find mentors, build lasting relationships with them, and still come back when they have questions about medical school in the future.” She also commended the participants. “It’s an incredible opportunity because some of the high school students haven’t had advanced science courses. The curriculum we design is quite challenging and asking them to do a case presentation was a big undertaking,” Bella said.

Bella shared that the Mini Medical School also provided benefits for the medical students. “I think it was a fantastic opportunity for us to practice communicating important science concepts to people who are not in this field, and that’s a very essential skill for us to have as future providers to talk to our patients who might not have the science background.”

The participants concluded their foray into the medical field by researching a clinical case with the assistance of their medical student mentors and presenting the case to Midwestern University faculty during a poster competition on the final day of Mini Medical School. 

Shanzay Bashir, a junior from Lake Zurich High School, took first place with the case “A 49-Year-Old Woman with Loss of Consciousness and Thrombocytopenia.” Syeda Rameeshah, a senior from Glenbard East High School, took second place following her presentation of the case “Case 1-2022: A 67-Year-Old Man with Motor Neuron Disease and Odd Behaviors during Sleep.” And Zaara Syeda, a senior from Plainfield East High School landed in third place with her examination of the case study “Treatment of Depression-related circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder with melatonin receptor agonist ramelteon: a case report.”

The attendees and medical students also reflected upon their mentorship experiences.

Syeda, who took second place in the poster competition, said Mini Medical School piqued her interest from the beginning with a plethora of information. She described her appreciation for the days structured toward a specific specialty, as well as her conversations with medical students. “I’ve asked a lot of medical students about the major they chose and their extracurricular activities. I’ve gotten a ton of insight,” Syeda described. Due to her interest in neurology, Syeda chose to examine the case of a man admitted to the hospital for daytime sleepiness, sleep apnea, and unusual behavior while asleep.   

Medical student Joseph Gewarges (CCOM ’27) worked with Joshua De Jesus, a junior from Hubbard High School. They examined a case of a man who had cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, and hypoxemia. Joshua reflected, “In the past this man wouldn’t have lived, but now, with advancements in medicine, he survived. Medicine matters, the result, and the change we can make in the future.” Joseph described his experience as a mentor. “It was an honor to come in every week and see the passion Joshua has. I’m glad I can be there with him and help him.”

Medical student Anjana Reddy (CCOM ’27) served as a mentor to Amidat Mojeed, a junior from West Aurora High School. Anjana emphasized the importance of this experience for medical students and said, “You’re going to have to learn how to be a teacher as well, whether you teach the students under you or residents in medical school.” Amidat expressed the value of her experience at Mini Medical School. “It’s been great to connect with people my age who are interested in the same thing.” Amidat’s interest in cardiology led them to examine the case of a woman who had severe chest pain following an emotional life event. 

Through events like Mini Medical School, the Midwestern University community prepares future healthcare professionals by encouraging their interest in healthcare early on.