This year, the THHS STEM department is offering a one semester elective in Human Pathology, taught by Science teacher Shi Bing Shen.
Many students with an interest in pursuing a career in the medical field take the course. Ms. Shen said the class offers a detailed exploration of the human body systems and functions, serving as a supplement for students enrolled in AP Biology.
The class is taught through project-based learning, allowing students to collaborate and train their public speaking skills to enhance their learning. Ms. Shen said, “most of [the projects are] going to be gallery walks with presentations [which help] you express your idea and teach others about what you know.”
Senior Puja Chanda said, “Ms. Shen made learning much easier because instead of the entire class focusing on one disease at a time, each group studied a different disease and then taught it to the rest of the class by presenting in stations.”
Junior Fiona Chang said she found Human Pathology helpful as a student looking to go into the medical field. “This class has contributed [to me as a student] by providing a deeper insight regarding the systems and inner workings of humans. I mainly chose this class because I aspire to be in the medical and pathology field,” she said.
Many students have chosen this elective, not knowing that Human Pathology was only a one semester course.
“I was unaware in the beginning of the year, since [human pathology being a one semester class] wasn’t noted in the elective guide. For me, as a sophomore, [I] was unaware that electives were mostly half a semester,” said Fiona.
Senior Vicky Chen said “learning [about] different diseases and behaviors … could be useful on the daily. I would recommend this class if you want to get into the medical field or if you are interested in it, without the stress load like AP Biology.”
Puja said her proudest moment was when working on her neurological disorders project, as she plans to major in neurology. “Doing my own research and repeatedly teaching my discoveries to others helped me memorize and fully understand the information. Learning from other groups also showed me how asking questions can lead to a better understanding of a topic,” she said.
Similarly to Vicky, Puja said she recommends this class because it is both enjoyable and manageable. “More importantly, I learned a lot, especially about diseases,” she said.
“I think the class helps contribute to our community by educating us on our bodies and our health, by learning about diseases, we become more considerate of those experiencing them, and more mindful of our health. It also helps me explore medicine and gives me a starting point to learn about the things in medicine that I’m interested in before I ultimately have to choose a career,” said Junior Anjali Jagmohan.
