At Townsend Harris High School, The Youth Medical Association (YMA) is a gateway for students to expand their knowledge of the medical field. With the help of YMA International, YMA’s board members meticulously plan in–person and online events to offer club members an insight into the medical field.
So far this academic year, YMA has hosted multiple events for students to attend after school.
YMA’s in-person events are organized by co-presidents and juniors Shayera Mourin and Adeline Lin, who work closely with Rayhan Mehal, the director of YMA International. Certain online events, with guest speakers, usually medical professionals, are organized by the Townsend Harris board members who take on outreach and logistics. “We email institutions and people working in the medical field, and if they’re interested, we coordinate [a] schedule to make it happen,” Shayera said.
Shayera further explained the planning of these events and the number of seats available for THHS students. She said, “Our in-person lab tour events, [which] happen in collaboration with THHS YMA and YMA International, are open to everyone in NYC– however, THHS students are prioritized for those events and we have a specific amount of spots at those events just for THHS students.”
One of the first in-person events, conducted on October 18, connected with NYU Langone’s Department of Neurology, where medical professionals took the stage to educate students on mental illnesses. Students arrived at the NYU Langone Health Hospital in Manhattan after school and were welcomed by doctors specialized in the field.
The professionals spoke on detecting specific medical illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease and its possible causes while showing students video footage of patients with neurological disorders over time. At the end of the presentation, students had the opportunity to ask questions on neurological disorders and the lives of physicians specializing in neuroscience.
Overall, more than 70 students attended, including international students, from schools like Bronx Science to Townsend Harris.
Junior Ananna Ali reflected on the event, saying that it was “incredibly insightful.” She said the event “broke down the different careers within neurology and how they all work together to provide patient care.” She added that her positive experiences led her to realize that she “might even consider pursuing something in neurology in the future.”
Junior Puja Chanda, another event attendee, said the event was very “educational and interesting.” She said, “events like these are very good for kids in high school because many [students] like me struggle [to find] what interests them.”
Similar to Ananna, she explained that the exposure to the neurological field through this event allowed her to explore her interests in the medical field. “I didn’t really know what I was interested in, but this event opened a new door for me,” she said.
Another in-person event, held after school on December 1 at Townsend Harris, featured guest speaker Dr. Bettie Steinberg, who also served as a way for students to become familiar with the medical field.
Dr. Sterinberg shared her challenges and discoveries throughout her medical career. She spread awareness about HPV (Human papillomavirus) by informing the students on how it spreads and certain ways to prevent people from obtaining it.
“I genuinely think we made a connection with our guest speaker, Betty Steinberg […] a good third of our time with Dr. Steinberg was the students asking questions on her past research,” said event coordinator and senior Ava Jack.
Sophomore Melissa Lai said, “I [think] I was motivated to attend the meeting because I was interested in the path she took to become a doctor.”
Meanwhile, sophomore Tristan Lyner said, “I think this event could influence students into making a choice, because they may be inspired by the speaker to do their own research.”
Junior Daniel Dixon said that “all the students seemed very engaged” and that “everyone asked [a lot of] questions.”
The number of available seats depends on the event, but the maximum is usually around 15 to 20 students. Due to the high number of applicants, a Google Form is created for students to sign up. YMA International’s board members then determine who is best suited for the event based on their responses to event-related questions.
Whether in-person or online, the club continues to work with YMA International to present more hands-on events so students can be entertained and invested in the medical field. They hope to have more lab tours, guest speaker events, and volunteering opportunities in the future.
