LSU Health Shreveport launching mini med school for community
By: Nancy Cook
Updated: March 7, 2012
Ever wonder what goes on every day in the classrooms and research labs at medical school? LSU Health Shreveport will provide a group of community members with the opportunity to see for themselves in a new Mini Med School.
Participants will hear lectures from the same faculty and experience the same hands-on activities of a real medical school class. All information will be presented in an easy-to-understand style, and no science background is required.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for us at the health sciences center to open our doors and share the expertise of our faculty on topics of interest to the public," said Dean of the School of Medicine Andrew Chesson, MD.
"Anyone who has ever thought about what it would be like to be a doctor or who is interested in science and health will enjoy this glimpse into the life of a real medical student."
Courses are open to the public. A $40 fee will cover class expenses, including use of a white coat for laboratory activities and convenient parking. The first school session, Hot Topics for Summer, will deal with summer-related medical topics. Faculty and courses for the four-week session will be: Chancellor Robert Barish, heat illness and other summer dangers; Dean Andrew Chesson, sleep science; Neurosurgery Chair Dr. Anil Nanda, concussions; and Family Medicine Professor Dr. Edward Mayeaux and Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience Dr. Heather Kleiner-Hancock, skin cancer.
Classes will be held April 10, 17, and 24 and May 1. Classes and activities will be from 6 to 8 p.m. An opening night reception will begin at 5:30 pm.
For more information, visit the Mini Med website, www.lsuhscshreveport.edu/minimed, or call 318-675-8789. Deadline for registration is March 26, or until the class is filled. The first session will be capped at 30 students to allow for more hands-on activities. Another session is tentatively scheduled for the fall.
