FirstHand introduces middle and high school students to STEM learning and provides skills-based career exposure. In 2025, the Health Sciences Sprint was launched with a focus on preparing students for a potential career in the healthcare field and taking advantage of the Science Center’s vast knowledge and network in the process.
Designing a Curriculum
The Health Sciences Sprint curriculum was created in collaboration with several health science mentors. The goal is to introduce students to the health sciences, immersing them in the world of healthcare and exposing them to core concepts. Students who complete the Sprint will have a much better understanding of the health sciences field, and insight into whether it’s a good fit for their future.
As part of the sprint, students design their own “final project” in the form of a community action plan by using public health data to understand the relationships between personal health, community health and the Philadelphia healthcare landscape. Students looked at public data from across the region, for example, to determine the leading causes of mortality (such as hypertension and lung cancer), then make actionable recommendations for change.
Mentors from Philadelphia healthcare companies are a key part of the experience. They help students explore a new perspective each week, and showcase the diverse opportunities possible for a career in healthcare. Adam Glasofer, for example, spoke to the students about what it was like to work for Amazon’s health innovation team. Glasofer is a physician, the founder of Vertex Health, the former Global Head of Healthcare for Public Sector Venture Capital and Startups at Amazon Web Services (AWS), and a Science Center Board Member.
He explained to the students how the Amazon PRFAQ works: when employees want to explore a new idea, they’re asked to create a mock press release to communicate their idea and the impact. This approach helps project planners identify pain points, develop clear product communication, and consider product benefits from the get-go.
“Define the customer experience and work backwards,” Glasofer advised. “Figure out what questions people will have about the project you’re doing, and how you would answer them.”
Students then used this advice to help develop their final project ideas.
Both Glasofer and Science Center Chief Medical Affairs Officer Dr. Kevin Baumlin explained their non-traditional career pathways to becoming doctors, helping students see that there is no single way to succeed. They emphasized the importance of trying out anything that felt interesting to them and not being afraid to veer off their intended course.
A FirstHand Look at Human Anatomy
Hands-on learning is a key part of the FirstHand experience, and the Health Science Sprint was no exception. Early on in the course, students worked alongside nurses to take patients’ heart rates and pulses. Experiences like these not only help students picture themselves in healthcare roles - they also strengthen future college and job applications by demonstrating real-world exposure and initiative.
Then it was time to visit a cadaver lab. At first, FirstHand leadership thought visiting cadavers might be too extreme for high school students. However, after consulting with life science industry professionals, they saw its value: early lab exposure is often viewed favorably by colleges, especially for students pursuing health science degrees (the students were also given the choice to participate in an alternate activity).
Students reported that the visit was eye-opening and helped them to visualize the internal workings of the human body much better.
“The cadaver visit was very intriguing to me,” explains junior High School student Jackie. “I was able to touch the lungs and the heart, to see what it looks like when we’re on to the next stage of life. It helped me learn how the functions of our body and what we do in life really impacts our body.”
Like many students in the Health Science Sprint, Jackie is no stranger to FirstHand, having attended several virtual programs in 8th grade before transitioning to an intern role last year, helping to support our 2023/2024 programs. The students who applied to be in the Health Sciences Sprint are passionate about not only health sciences, but about the future impact they can make: amongst the group were aspiring emergency care doctors, biomedical engineers, and nurse practitioners.
“That was an incredible experience honestly. I think seeing an actual human brain in real life was way different from what I expected. It was a very valuable experience that I don’t think I’ll ever forget, and hopefully I’ll get to do more things like that in the future,” says senior Erian, who similarly has participated in multiple FirstHand curricula.
Public Health: A Lifeline for Communities
The Health Sciences Sprint emphasized not only what a career could look like in the health sciences, but also why this work matters to the Philadelphia community.
Junior-year student Kumba expressed that the day they spent learning about food deserts opened her eyes to the challenges many communities face in accessing healthy food options, and other seminars were similarly impactful. “During the public health seminar, I didn’t know what that was,” she explained. “I thought it was about making sure everyone stays healthy, but I didn’t know what went into it until Tariem Burroughs [ the Executive Director of External Partnerships at Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health] came and talked about it. Now I know more about how important getting information out there is.”
The final project allowed students to connect more deeply to issues in the community around them. “My final project is addressing drug addiction in Philadelphia, because it’s a big problem in the city,” explains junior-year student Koda. “My project is focused on creating awareness and on drug safety. One of my things I’m trying to get down is providing kits where you can test the drugs and know exactly what the drug is before you use it.”
Students also heard from a panel of mental and behavioral health professionals that helped inform their action plans.
Not surprisingly, the Sprint has helped participating students decide whether or not they have a future in healthcare.
“I have a strong interest in public health and advocacy work as well as an interest in working in medicine so my goal for my career is to find an intersection between those two things, so this has confirmed my interest and made me more interested,” says Kumba. She assures future students that the sprint is worth it. “It’s super fun. Originally I was a little scared to do it because I’m in my junior year I thought I was going to be adding more stuff to my workload, but it’s a fun way to not only make money [FirstHand provides stipends to students], but also make connections and build your network,” she says.
Student Voices, Real-World Impact
The Sprint wrapped up at the beginning of May as the students showcased their projects. In front of a crowd of visitors, the students introduced themselves. They come from different local schools and represent a diversity of potential career paths. As they launched into their presentations in front of a crowd of facilitators, mentors and visitors, the group presented their well-researched ideas for shaping Philadelphia’s public health. “Journalists” (program facilitators) in the audience asked them exploratory questions like, “What are the social determinants of health you are addressing?”
The students not only presented information on current health problems occurring in the Philadelphia region – they also identified strategies for both awareness and prevention, calling out their goals and measurable outcomes. Several students opted to present on the opioid epidemic, while others explored health issues like hypertension and anxiety disorders.
During the Q&A with the audience at the end, one student said about their journey: “Seeing so many people in healthcare inspired me to get into something medical related.”
And to wrap it up, another sagely explained: “Helping people brings the community so much closer.”
