Picture of Doctor and students

  • Neuroanatomy Days with DC SoMA and Medtronics

     

    At the end of the day most parents ask their children what they did in school.  A common answer is nothing. Well not if your child attends Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts (DC SoMA), where students just returned from Neuroanatomy Days at Medtronic.

    Medtronic is an amazing company that got its start in 1949 and has been on the cutting edge in medical equipment ever since.  In 1957 they developed the first pacemaker that did not need to be plugged in and could run on a battery, then they developed an implantable one and the innovations just kept coming.

    小丑撸ten years ago, Medtronic began its partnership with Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts.  Unfortunately, covid completely derailed this partnership. Staying true to the six powerful words that have inspired them to do the extraordinary for 60 years and counting: Alleviate pain. Restore health. Extend life. – they have picked up this invaluable partnership once again to inspire a new generation. 

    Darnell-Cookman students in the 9th, 10th and 11th grade went to Medtronic this week where they worked beside doctors learning all about neuroanatomy.  These students learned about the brain while working with an actual human cadaver brain.  They then went on to learn about how they would access small tumors by using cameras and probes to enter the nasal passage of the cadaver head and even had to practice retrieving a “tumor” from the brain. 

    Students then rotated and practiced opening the skull without damaging the brain just as neurosurgeons do when removing larger tumors.  Using small drills they created a burr hole and then cut out a piece of the skull.  This was done with wood and models made to look like a skull.  Before entering this area the students had practice with the drill by attempting to draw on an egg’s shell without rupturing the membrane.  This was quite the task for many of them.

    The excitement as they boarded the bus at the end of the day was contagious.  As parents this is what we want most for our children, to be excited about what they are learning, and this is how it is done. This is an experience that will stay with them as they venture forward into college and beyond.  This is the DC SoMA experience.