When Julie Joyal worked as a nurse at BIDMC, she would often chat with her colleague Nancy Oriol, MD about education reform. It was something both Joyal and Oriol were passionate about. What started as midday discussions during work turned into a powerful program helping to impact local youth. 

Founded by Oriol, Faculty Associate Dean for Community Engagement in Medical Education at HMS, and James Gordon, MD, MPA, Chief Learning Officer and David F.M. Brown, MD Endowed Education Academy Chair at Massachusetts General Hospital, the first MEDscience Summer School was held in 2005. Joyal earned a master’s in education policy and leadership at Harvard Graduate School of Educationand happened to bump into Oriol the weekend after graduation. That’s when Oriol said, “I have this amazing program. What are you doing next weekend?” 

In 2008, soon after that conversation, Joyal joined the team as the Founding Executive Director and expanded the summer immersion program into a longitudinal credit-bearing, semester course. Today, the program has four initiatives: MEDscience Clinical, MEDscienceLAB, MEDscience Forensics, and MEDScience Tech Moonshot. 

“We transport kids from their high school biology class during the school day,” said Joyal. “They get out of the classroom, put on scrubs, and come to our campus.” 

Another key figure in the program is Stan. He’s a lifelike mannequin that is a cornerstone of the program. More than 4,000 kids from 120 schools visit Stan each year for a semester-long program where they learn how to take a medical history, identify the chief complaint, assess vital signs, and work through a differential diagnosis. Stan also assists with their lessons on caring for people with asthma, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and substance use disorder. 

“The kids love it,” says Joyal. “Our mission is to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.” 

Each summer, MEDscience also runs 10 one-week programs that are open to any local student and scholarships are available. MEDscience employs an innovative, simulation-based science curriculum that transforms the way students approach and solve problems. Through its unique pedagogy, students develop their scientific and medical knowledge, build skills and confidence, and feel inspired to pursue careers in healthcare and STEM.  

“The thing we do best is instill a sense of self-efficacy where kids can leave the program and say, ‘I belong in STEM,’” she said. 

Volunteers needed 

Volunteers are always needed, and they can expect to gain experience teaching and learn MEDscience’s pedagogical approach. To learn more, reach out to Meaghan Talty at Meaghan_Talty@hms.harvard.edu.