Nardin's Medical WinterMission

Sana Said '23 ~ February 2022

Nardin Academy’s WinterMission program is a unique experience that promotes experiential learning for students in high school. This year, one of the programs that happened to stay in Buffalo was the Medical WinterMission, officially referred to as “First Do No Harm: Nardin Alumnae in the World of Medicine.” Even though the week-long experience was cut short because of two snow days, students who participated in this WinterMission still learned about the world of medicine and healthcare with the amazing help of Nardin alumni and parents.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the medical WinterMission was not able to visit any hospitals as a group. However, students still spoke with medical professionals over Zoom to ask questions and gain a larger understanding of the different careers one can pursue within healthcare.

First, they spoke to Emily Brooks ‘08, a current staff engineer at Qualcomm working as a biomedical engineer in advanced research and design for medical imaging and sensing applications. She spoke about the technology that she works on with her team regarding medical technology for the general consumer.

Additionally, students had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Saurin Popat MD|MBA|FACS|FRCSC and a few of his colleagues at ECMC. Dr. Popat is a head and neck surgeon who has multiple specialties, including surgical oncology microvascular reconstruction, skull base surgery and endoscopic skull base surgery, and robotic head and neck surgery.

Students also spoke with a psychologist, nurse practitioner, and speech pathologist.

One student said it “was an amazing opportunity to learn about some of the different things you can go into for medicine. It was great to hear what got them all interested in healthcare–they were so passionate about it. You could tell they loved their jobs.”

Futher, students in the medical WinterMission received opportunities to see healthcare officials in action. Dr. Ahmad, who works as a physician in internal medicine, started a practice where he does home visits for people in the Buffalo area at the start of Covid-19. Students went around with him on a few of his home visits to experience how these kinds of appointments work and how necessary they are for patients–especially those that had not been to a doctor in around a decade.

Also, students in this WinterMission went to the reVive Spine Center to shadow Dr. Franco E. Vigna, an orthopedic surgeon, and his team. Students were able to understand how orthopedic specialists may go about seeing their patients, going over x-rays, MRI’s, and even surgical staples removal.

Finally, a few girls shadowed doctors in hospitals and clinics in smaller groups. For instance, some went to Sister’s Hospital to see a cardiology specialist, Dr. Battaglia. Others visited Amherst Chiropractic and even watched a chiropractic adjustment done on a baby.

This unique experience taught students about the world of medicine and healthcare. It truly reflects the benefits that arise from experimental learning through Nardin’s WinterMission program.

Title Photo: Mrs. Healy