Baylor College of Medicine WOW!

On May 17, Citizen Schools students from our Jane Long and Sharpstown campuses joined together to WOW! over 50 doctors, professors, and students at Baylor College of Medicine with their knowledge of health and the human body. Congressman Al Green attended the WOW! and spoke to students about the importance of education and encouraged them to follow their dreams. Rachel O’Shields, Staff Assistant for Senator John Cornyn, was also in attendance. Altogether five apprenticeships participated in the WOW!. Sharpstown Medical School, taught by Baylor Medical students, spent the semester learning the skills a doctor needs to be successful, including basic exam skills and professional communication skills. At Baylor, they demonstrated these skills by testing blood pressure, vision, and reflexes for numerous attendees, and by listening to their hearts and lungs.

Jane Long Medical School, also taught by Baylor Medical students, learned about the different organs of the human body, how they function together, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. At Baylor, students demonstrated how these different organs work and why they are important to the human body functioning.

Vision and the Brain, taught by a professor from the University of Texas-Houston, spent the semester working with electrical kits that replicated how the eye functions and how neurons work. At Baylor, apprentices demonstrated how a neuron transmits and receives signals and how the eye functions in conjunction with the brain.

Anatomy and Disease, taught by Scientists@Schools, an organization of Baylor Ph.D. students, studied diseases that affect different organ systems at the molecular level, including the eyes, brain, lungs, and heart. At the WOW!, they shared posters detailing the knowledge they had gained.

Finally, CALIENTE, taught in partnership with the Greater Houston Area Health Education Center, helped students learn about healthy eating and good living habits. After performing a rap about making healthy choices, CALIENTE apprentices shared healthy snacks with all attendees.