Students get to the heart of medicine

“The idea is for students to see not only why and what we are doing in the medical field, but also for them to consider where there are flaws and opportunities for improvements. ”

Mayfield High School students were afforded a rare learning opportunity this week.

In addition to typical high school subjects like math, English and government, students worked sideby-side with a cardiac anesthesiologist to dissect hearts and diagnose cardiovascular cases, primarily aortic valve stenosis, using “cutting-edge” 3-D heart imaging equipment donated by medical technology company Siemens Healthineers.

About 60 Mayfield High School juniors and seniors with a career interest in the area of medicine participated in the “real-world experience” at the Mayfield Innovation Center, at 6080 Wilson Mills Road in Mayfield Village.

The two learning sessions included juniors and seniors studying anatomy, math, advanced math, art and creative writing, in addition to medical technology students from the Excel TECC consortium.

“Our driving vision is to prepare students to be successful and to train them with the tools they need for their world,” said Superintendent Keith Kelly. “We appreciate Siemens working with us to engage these kids in real-life learning. They donated over $2 million (of equipment) to this project. They’re inspiring our students to pursue these careers.”

Kelly imparted the driving vision to his son, Dr. Brian Kelly, a cardiac anesthesiologist at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, who visited the district to teach students about heart function, anatomy, cardiac cycles and pathologic conditions that impact the heart.

Dr. Kelly led students through a cow heart dissection with the purpose of examining heart valves and blood flow which correlated to 3-D imaging and ultrasounds. Students also had the opportunity to work hands-on with the 3-D imaging equipment while collaborating with Siemens clinical specialists.

“The idea is for students to see not only why and what we are doing in the medical field, but also for them to consider where there are flaws and opportunities for improvements,” Dr. Kelly said. “Three-dimensional imaging is a relatively new, pioneering technology that will continue to evolve and improve. There are the students who will solve the problems and improve technology. That’s their job in the future. We’re giving them that challenge now.

“I want all students to understand the applications they are learning in high school have meaning and applicability in their world and future careers,” Dr. Kelly added. “Career fields have merged. In the medical field alone, we work with engineers and developers, nurses and doctors, graphic designers and artists. We live and work in a world of collaboration. We want students to understand that and be inspired now. They are the ones who are going to make them real.”

Typically, the learning sessions aren’t introduced to students at the high school level, but the idea became a reality, conceived between Dr. Kelly and his father during a phone conversation last summer.

The two then called Pat Ward, director of curriculum for Mayfield City Schools.

“I then called our principal (Jeff Legan) and we got the ball rolling,” Ward said. “And Siemens was so agreeable to come out and form this partnership. We value learning opportunities that encourage students to have authentic learning experiences.

“Thanks to Superintendent Kelly, Dr. Kelly and Siemens, these students are embedded in an authentic case study with access to medical experts. We’re providing them with a simulation of the real-life experiences they would encounter in the medical field. We want this to be the norm for learning in Mayfield.”