At our children’s hospital, we have witnessed firsthand the unique value near-peer student volunteers (NPSV) bring to the care of our paediatric patients through social engagement and mentorship that is not typically fulfilled by standard caregiver and healthcare providers. Mediated by social interactions and supported by child development theory, meaningful engagement between NPSVs and paediatric patients can potentially change how we practise paediatric medicine. Accordingly, we present how the role of NPSVs in hospitals and clinics should be redefined and allow for more in-depth connections with paediatric patients.

We define a NPSV as 18–22 years old, has completed secondary/high school and is currently enrolled in a university programme (eg, medical school, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, etc). The adjacent age difference between paediatric patients and NPSVs removes any age overlap with that of a direct peer1 and allows for the natural and efficient establishment of rapport, respect and trust,2 enabling NPSVs to be an ideal demographic for paediatric patients.

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If you would like a pdf version of the paper, please email us at bmehealthreach@gmail.com

Our partner elementary school received its GA state STEM recertification!

https://www.smore.com/34zme

Dr. Hardy participated in a panel talking about the 5th grade classes and our participation with them this past school year.

From our GT students – “One highlight from Woodland was getting hugs from the 5th graders and asking us to sign their STEM notebooks. I’ve never had anyone ask for my autograph!”

https://ece.gatech.edu/news/2023/04/memoriam-oliver-brand

I was saddened by the news of Dr. Brand’s passing a few weeks ago. He was extremely supportive of BME HealthReach and all avenues of our educational outreach. He will be missed.

I wanted to add a small story about the impact of Dr. Brand –

I was a TA for Dr. Brand’s microelectronics class at GT and I was dedicated to being more than just the “homework grader”. Mid-semester, there was a shuffle with the TAs and I was no longer Dr. Brand’s TA. He told me the news and said his students thought I was a great TA and very helpful during office hours. He wanted me to stay his TA, but was overruled by the department. His words to me about being a good teacher and knowledgeable about microelectronics gave me the confidence and push to pursue a PhD. He had confidence in me that I didn’t have in myself.

Over the years, we have passed each other weekly and had small talk. He was a great mentor and I am thankful to have known him.

All the best,

Elaissa

https://news.gatech.edu/features/2023/03/month-photos-march-2023

Fourth and fifth graders learned about the circulatory system, including how blood flows through the heart and how the brain communicates with the heart, through hands-on, interactive STEM activities led by Georgia Tech biomedical engineering students. This session was one of many K.I.D.S. (Kids Interested in Discovering STEAM) Club sessions hosted by the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) on Saturday, March 11, in conjunction with the Atlanta Science Festival. These Saturday campus sessions are offered every fall and spring for elementary and middle school students. Photo courtesy of CEISMC.

The Month in Photos_ March 2023 _ News Center

Check out our publication focusing on the impact of our program on Undergraduate education –

Creating Social Value via Undergraduate Design Thinking Course with K-12 STEM Education Outreach in Various Community Settings

BME HealthReach is an educational outreach program where undergraduate BME students participate in an out-of-class design thinking course to create and teach interactive STEM activities to K-12 students, where children with chronic illnesses are the primary clients. We detail research that seeks to answer the following: (1) what impact does this out-of-class design course have? (2) how does this course contribute to the entrepreneurial mindset, including promoting connection-making and creating social value/relationships? and (3) do the STEM activities achieve the educational learning objectives? BME students completed anonymous surveys pre/post-semester and descriptive statistics were used to report their viewpoints. Pediatric patients answered post-activity questions to assess the educational objectives. 98% of the BME students completed the surveys. In the pre-surveys, 49% of participants listed “teaching” as their primary goal for taking the course. In the post-surveys, 68% selected “teaching skills” as the value the course provided. Post-course reflections revealed that out-of-class opportunities positively impacted the BME students by fulfilling their desires to teach, fostering social values, and providing a creative outlet. 132 pediatric patients completed 3 STEM activities, 68% of 6th graders and above demonstrated thorough understanding of the STEM topics. 189 BME students have participated in BME HealthReach (80% participating for multiple semesters), teaching ~1500 pediatric patients and ~2500 K-12 students. The BME students enjoyed exploring connections between their course work and designing STEM activities, while building community social value/relationships. We summarize how our unique educational outreach program fosters social value within BME education and provides innovative K-12 educational programming.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43683-022-00064-5

If you would like a pdf version of the paper, please email us at bmehealthreach@gmail.com

Check out our latest publication –

Building the foundation of health-related knowledge via near-peer education for children with sickle cell disease

Health education for children with chronic illnesses (i.e., sickle cell disease [SCD]) has focused on educating adult caregivers with minimal consideration to educating the pediatric patients. We introduce a pediatric-focused educational paradigm, health-related knowledge (HRK), teaching pediatric patients developmentally appropriate general health literacy, and disease-specific knowledge. Using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education concepts, pediatric-specific HRK interactive activities address educational gaps: (a) general STEM education; and (b) general health and disease-specific knowledge to improve clinical outcomes. Total 144 pediatric SCD patients completed HRK activities, revealing overwhelmingly positive feedback (87%). Seventy-five percent of participants in 6th grade and above demonstrated thorough understanding of the STEM/HRK topics taught.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pbc.29566

If you would like a pdf version of the paper, please email us at bmehealthreach@gmail.com