SNMA members host Wesley House students at UNMC

Wesley house second-graders Keon Blake, left, and Journey Hunnicutt, right, learn about color mixing from SNMA volunteer Hannah Heckart.

In the middle of summer jobs and rotations, members of UNMC’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA) took time to support the future health care careers of area elementary and middle school students.

Wesley House Summer Academy partnered with SNMA to bring students to campus for a day, where they visited research labs and saw some of the opportunities for health care careers. UNMC third-year medical student Chantal Afuh said it was a natural partnership because both groups share similar goals and missions to develop future community leaders.

“It was important to reach out to younger students who have an interest in science. It gives us a chance to show students what’s available at UNMC, right in their own backyard,” Afuh said. “Hopefully, they will not just come to campus for a health visit but get to know about the opportunities UNMC provides for teaching and research.”

“At Wesley House, we teach our students about business, education and leadership, but if they’re not healthy, they may not be able to fulfill their dreams,” said MeLitta Wilson, Wesley House interim program director. “Partnering with UNMC is a great opportunity for our students to get an inside look at the health care industry.”

Diane Allen-Gipson, Ph.D., UNMC assistant professor, explains pulmonary research to a group of students from Wesley House.

Over a pizza lunch, sponsored by UNMC’s pathology and microbiology department, students were greeted by Rubens Pamies, M.D., UNMC vice chancellor for academic affairs. David Grandison, M.D., Ph.D., director of UNMC’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities, encouraged students to believe in themselves, value educational preparation and consider a career in science.

Several UNMC faculty members including Tina Flores, M.D., Kristie Hayes, M.D., Laurey Steinke, Ph.D., and Kohei Homma, Ph.D., stopped by to greet students and answer their questions.

One of the highlights of the day was visiting faculty research labs. Fifth through eighth-graders toured the labs of Dr. Steinke, Georgette Kanmogne, Ph.D., and Diane Allen-Gipson, Ph.D.

Dr. Allen-Gipson discussed her asthma and COPD research and the importance of research and how it impacts the lives of everyday people.

Wesley House student Jared Petite, 11, views a research project.

Students in kindergarten through fourth-grade rotated through SNMA staffed science stations that explored color mixing, blood pressure, temperature, pulse, dentistry and basic anatomy. The younger students also visited the labs of Ken Bayles, Ph.D., and Oluwatoyin Asojo, Ph.D.

Dr. Asojo, the event faculty sponsor, said many of the elementary school students already could describe cells and knew about blood circulation.

“We were able to show students that science can be fun,” Dr. Asojo said. “My hope is that they will see that UNMC is accessible to them. When they see people of color doing research, hopefully, they will begin to see future career possibilities.”

The informative day ended with a University of Nebraska at Omaha CaPOW (Chemistry And Physics On Wheels) demonstration.