On April 9, Parkland High School Biomedical Science teachers, assisted by 65 St. Luke’s staff and doctors, coordinated a full-day Biomedical Symposium for more than 200 students throughout the high school.

According to a Parkland High School news release, the students took two of the four classes Parkland High School offers in the nationally accredited Project Lead The Way® Biomedical Science Program, a flagship Parkland program offering hands-on training and career exposure for students interested in studying science after high school.

The Biomedical Symposium included a human cadaver knee dissection event for students taking the Human Body Systems class.

Daniel Heckman, MD., orthopedic surgeon, St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care, and his physician’s ssistant, Jeremy Witcoskii, led the dissection.

During the cadaver knee dissection, Heckman and his team explained knee exams, reviewed treatments, demonstrated a knee repair and reviewed pathology, including X-ray, MRI and scope images.

Students were also able to handle arthroscopic tools alongside two orthopedic residents from St. Luke’s, Ryan De Leon and Jonathan McKeeman, to operate on a second knee specimen, which was magnified on a large monitor with professional surgical instruments supplied by Arthrex.

The cadaver specimens had been purchased by St. Luke’s who ordered them from United Tissue Network based out of Phoenix, Ariz.

Laura Kowalski, chair of the Biomedical Science Department, emphasized the inspirational nature of the arthroscopic experience.

“This event offers an incredible hands-on learning opportunity where students utilize the latest tools and technology in surgical medicine,” Kowalski said.

Students rotated through a series of hands-on learning stations where they practiced giving insulin injections, stitching sutures and administering hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The students received a surgical tool demonstration, visited a simulated hospital room where various cases were triaged so they could learn the process of admitting patients and attended an ambulatory care demonstration.

Career presentations featured a panel of healthcare providers working in various medical fields.

St. Luke’s also hosted a discussion about the opioid epidemic in the United States.

Aaron Boggs, sports medicine program manager for Lehigh, Carbon and East Schuylkill counties said, “St. Luke’s is thrilled to partner and empower the Parkland Project Lead The Way® students with unique, hands-on experiences like dissection, surgical demonstration, suturing and more. We hope the 65 St. Luke’s professionals that participated in the symposium help to ignite the student’s passion and ultimately impact the future of healthcare by becoming the next generation of medical professionals.”

Parkland Biomedical classes examine the interactions of human body systems as they explore identity, power, movement, protection and homeostasis and take on the roles of biomedical professionals to solve real-world medical cases.

Throughout the year, students are involved in rigorous, hands-on, biomedical course curriculum including content and activities that immerse them in medical scenarios and situations, like dissections of a fetal pig and the heart, brain, kidney and eye of other organisms.