SOM student, Eoin Bradley, works with students at career day.
The Creekside Village Community Center hosted a career day for children from minority and financially disadvantaged backgrounds. The theme for the event was “My Blackness is D.O.P.E (Destined to Operate in Positivity Everyday).” During this event, the UVA Student National Medical Association was able to discuss paths to medicine through exposure and fun STEM activities. Even at our INOVA location, our students are making strides for their community. We spoke with Eoin Bradley, one of the medical students leading this effort, to learn more!
Q: Can you tell us more about the event at Creekside?
A: At the Creekside event, we volunteered to teach kids about what it takes and what it means to become a doctor. We led activities such as how to use a stethoscope and what reflexes are. This event took place at the Creekside Village Community Center in Alexandria, VA. It was an incredible experience to share medicine with kids, especially kids of color, and inspire them to become interested in STEM/medicine. I grew up without that experience and it led me to realize medicine was an option for me later in life. We hope to create that exposure for kids early in their lives. The children we worked with that day went home with stethoscopes for themselves and their family and I think became excited about the possibility of one day being a doctor.
Q: What made you pursue these efforts?
A: I have always looked for ways to volunteer with the community so that I can deepen my connection to the people I am serving. Especially when it comes to kids, it’s just so important to teach kids about health and well-being and to inspire them to achieve their dreams.
Q: How can more students get involved?
A: Yes! Reach out to Taylor Franklin (tf8je@virginia.edu) for more information about opportunities to volunteer!
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Article written by third-year medical student Sunny Murthy as part of a special series for the Medicine in Motion newsletter, which gives us a glimpse into lives of medical students and their impact on our community.