Sixty Dallas ISD students and six staff members joined members of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine for its annual national conference on Thursday, Feb. 1, in Dallas.
Strategic Initiatives and External Relations/ Partnership Services teamed up with Dr. Brian Casey of UTSW Medical to ensure two groups of students could participate: School for Health Professions at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center and Sunset Collegiate Academy-Public Health Pathway.
The event included a day of presentations and programs led by members of the society. According to Assistant Superintendent Usamah Rodgers, “These are the types of meaningful experiences our students need to grow and develop. We are grateful for the opportunities provided.”
One goal of the students’ participation is to spark interest in pursuing maternal-fetal medicine as a specialty.
“This program was designed to expose young students to the specialty of Maternal-Fetal Medicine as well the scientific process,” said Dr. Brian Casey, UTSW Medical. “The Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting held here in Dallas represents the culmination of that scientific process with the presentation of cutting-edge research findings to an international audience of high risk obstetricians and researchers.”
Suji Ha, a biology teacher at Sunset Early College High School and one of the chaperoning, thanked organizers for inviting students to the unforgettable experience. “Students really enjoyed and what makes me shocked was that my students were actually able to understand the the research and what the doctors were talking about,” Ha said. “One of my students was telling me that ‘it is everything we learned in your class!’ After we got back to school, we had long discussion about the oral plenary and poster sessions. Students were still excited to share out their new knowledge and information they received from the experience.”
