Seventh-grade students from the Durham Nativity School recently participated in an emergency medicine and surgical skills workshop through the Department of Surgery’s Academic Success Through Surgical Education and Training (ASSET) program. The ASSET program aims to foster high achievement in science through surgical education for financially disadvantaged students at the Nativity School. As part of the program, the department hosts students for workshops throughout the year, focusing on anatomy, simulation, and surgical skills.
As part of the spring activities, the ASSET workshop took place at the Surgical Education and Activities Lab (SEAL) where the students joined different workstations led by Surgery faculty and residents. Each group met with leaders who taught them skills related to the following procedures in emergency medicine and general surgery:
- Station 1: Upper airway with Airway Cam heads and C-MAC anatomy and intubation
- Station 2: High-Fidelity Simulator
- Station 3: Da Vinci Surgical System
- Station 4: Bronchoscopy
- Station 5: Laparoscopy
- Station 6: Ultrasound
At the end of the activity, the students and leadership expressed their sincere appreciation to all the wonderful Duke staff who supported and participated in the spring and fall ASSET Science Programs by hosting a year-end "Thank you Pizza Luncheon."
Thank you to the workshop leaders: David Gordon, MD, Traci Thoureen, MD, Brendan Flanagan, MD, Sabino Zani, MD, Paul Mosca MD, Gayle DiLalla, MD, Todd Purves, MD, PhD, Erica Peethumnongsin, MD, PhD, and Kevin Gurysh, MD for their commitment, team work, energy, and selflessness to give the students an irreplaceable experience. Thank you to the other members of the team for their planning and coordination: Layla Triplett, Jennie Phillips, Mary Pickard, Harpreet Walia, Rita Weber, and Linda Cendales, MD.
About the Nativity School
Founded in 2002 by former Chief of Trauma Surgery Dr. Joseph Moylan, the Durham Nativity School is a tuition-free middle school for boys from low-income families in the local community. Dr. Moylan established the school to enable underprivileged boys to achieve academic excellence through a robust, comprehensive 12-year educational program beginning in middle school through the completion of college. As a result of this program, 91% of Nativity School graduates attend college.