Seventh- and eighth-grade students from Los Angeles-area schools will look at brain cells through microscopes, dress up in surgical scrubs, and perform simulated brain surgery when they visit the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 26.
The third annual Brainworks program will give students an opportunity to learn about science and anatomy while having fun, and perhaps give them an incentive to pursue careers as physicians, surgeons, nurses or research scientists.
"Students who came to the Brainworks programs the past two years really seemed to enjoy learning about the brain and interacting with our staff," said Keith L. Black, M.D., the world-renowned neurosurgeon who directs the Institute, the medical center's Division of Neurosurgery, and the Comprehensive Brain Tumor Program. "This gives us an opportunity to show them what it's like to work in research and in patient care. We hope the experience will allow them to see how exciting science is, how fascinating the brain is, and help them imagine themselves working in a similar environment."
Intrigued by the sciences in his youth, Keith Black often rode his bike to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where he wandered into research laboratories to watch scientists work. At age 17, his first research paper was published and he won the Westinghouse Science Award.
Students who attend Brainworks will be able to have their pictures taken with Dr. Black, meet surgeons, pathologists, researchers, nurses, social workers and other professionals at the Institute, and hear presentations about the rewards of working in the sciences. They will also see actual surgical instruments and learn how they work, watch as tissue samples are prepared for laboratory exams, and get a close-up view of the brains of sheep.
To help them understand the challenges faced by patients who have suffered neurological illnesses or injuries -- and the efforts of rehabilitation specialists to help them relearn skills -- students will play the roles of patients and therapists, using wheelchairs and other "props" to make their experiences more realistic.
Two new activities are planned for this year's event. Students will be able to meet some of the dogs that are part of the medical center's pet therapy program. The animals are specially trained and certified to visit patients who are being treated for cancer and other illnesses, providing companionship, stress reduction, and wagging tails and friendly faces that are a welcome addition to the day-to-day routine.
At another new station, students will perform simulated brain surgery using a teaching tool developed by a manufacturer of computer-assisted surgical navigation equipment. Consisting of a gel that simulates brain tissue and a ball within the gel to represent a tumor, the device will give students a chance to experience for themselves some of the challenges neurosurgeons encounter.
Teachers at several independent schools and four Los Angeles Unified School District schools -- Pacoima Middle School, Webster Middle School, White Middle School, and Palms Middle School -- selected the 140 students who have been invited to attend Brainworks. Their decisions were based on interest and excellence in science classes.
The Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute assumes the costs related to Brainworks. This year, a major research laboratory and developer of medications and other health-improvement products has pledged $3,500 in support.
For media information and to arrange an interview, please call 800-396-1002 ext. 102 or ext. 52.