Contact: Caelie Haines Web Editor (410) 706-7508 chaines@som.umaryland.edu

Students Gary Schwartzbauer, Jim Pineno and Andrew Ditto volunteer for Habitat for Humanity (photo courtesy of The Baltimore Sun).

Sollers Point Technical High School students were thrilled to tour the anatomy lab with first-year student Pamela Leach.

More than 600 medical students fanned out across Baltimore to help others in the first Student Service Day at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Medical students cleaned and painted schools, helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity, gave presentations at the Maryland Science Center and conducted a Mini-Med School for younger students interested in the health field.

"We wanted to give back to the community that has supported the school for 200 years," explained Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA of the unprecedented decision to devote an entire school day to volunteering during the school's bicentennial year.

"We're really delighted," raved Patti Rosso, a teacher for Sollers Point Technical High School's Allied Health program, who brought a group of juniors to Mini-Med School. "It's been a fun time for the kids. Some of them talk of becoming doctors, but I don't think they had a real idea of what it entailed, so being able to talk with the different students and learning about their med school experiences has been very worthwhile." 

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"That was part of the purpose of today," added Alicia Loper, another Sollers Point teacher and the mother of  a second-year student. "So they could see realistically what they would be getting into. They went to the lab, and they saw how the med students dissect cadavers, and they saw organs, which they were all fascinated by."

Loper wasn't able to catch up with her son on campus, as he was busy volunteering at the Maryland Science Center. The biggest service site of the day, the Science Center had 75 students manning a variety of kid-friendly presentations.

In "Grossology," medical student Amy Andrus was helping third graders understand why swallowing air makes you "toot." "Students get to see their bodies in a whole different way, and that inspires curiosity," says Andrus, who believes their service is making science more accessible and less intimidating.

After months of intense study, Student Service Day was a big change of pace for the medical students, but one they greatly appreciated. "It's an opportunity to share our excitement for science," says fourth year medical student Michelle Cohen. Cohen, who organized the Science Center outreach, hopes the experience will encourage more young people to consider careers in science or medicine.

The Science Center staff was thrilled to have the medical students on-site answering questions. "The synergy is great," says Anne Myers, the Science Center's director of development. Myers agrees with Cohen that activities like Student Service Day can provide the kind of one-on-one contact vital to stimulating a child's interest in science.

That certainly seemed to be the case back at the School of Medicine's Anatomy lab. Although there was a bit of fidgeting during lectures by med students on such topics as AIDS and influenza, the Sollers Point students found their enthusiasm in the Anatomy Lab. Here they were able to get hands-on with plasticized models of diseased organs, while peppering their tour guides with questions about science and the ups and downs of medical school.

Student Service Day was presented as a special event for the School of Medicine's bicentennial year, but many of those involved hope to see it become an annual tradition. "The students are very enthusiastic about this," said Joseph Martinez, MD, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. "I think it would be difficult to find a day every year when we could cancel classes so everyone could go volunteer, but I'd like to see this continue on some scale in the future."

Related Images:

First-year students J.B. Pertumen and Veronica Bustillo give straight facts about AIDS during Mini-Med School.    Dr. Joseph Martinez, Dr. Mimi Blitzer and Dr. David Mallott greeted students at the breakfast to kick off Student Service Day.    The hardworking students who worked with Habitat for Humanity take a well-deserved break.    SOM volunteers at the Science Center help students get hands-on with the topics they're exploring.

Students Susan Gutschow, Connie Chan, Roger Wu and Aaron Johnson are members of Otitis Musica, who entertained during a breakfast for students before all the work started.    First year student David Griffith teaches Sollers Point students at Mini-Med School.    A new generation of medical personnel gets inspired by today's current med students at the Science Center.    Student Service Day was a day to bond with the community -- and with each other.