VISTA's Year in Health Sciences
 
VISTA's Year in Health Sciences

Welcome to the Virtual International Science and Technology Academy’s (VISTA) Year in Health Sciences!

Engines for Education, funded through a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, now offers ten sections- or “rotations”- of a full-year Health Sciences curriculum. Students can do these rotations in person (students and mentors in the same location), remotely (all students and mentors in separate locations), or in a combination of both.

The Year in Health Sciences consists of a series of Story-Centered Curricula. Students take on the roles of professionals working in the field of health sciences, such as nutrition advisors and sports medics. They solve the kinds of problems these professionals typically solve in their day-to-day work.

Learn more about VISTA by clicking on the questions below. Click on the questions to the right to hear from Bill Purves, the biologist who helped us design and develop this curriculum.
      
Health Sciences Curriculum Rotations

Internal Medicine: Students, playing the role of medical center residents, diagnose and recommend treatment for a Vietnam veteran presenting with a swollen abdomen. Along the way, acting as members of the medical center’s ethics committee, students analyze three ethical situations: patient fitness, patient autonomy, and buying and selling organs.

About Dr. Alfred Baker, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Internal Medicine rotation.

About Bill Lavery, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Internal Medicine rotation.

Nutrition Advisor: Students, in the role of nutrition advisors at a community clinic, diagnose and develop treatment plans for teenage patients presenting with nutritional conditions and issues. Outside of the simulation, students reflect on their own diet and exercise habits.

About Barbara Pearl, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Nutrition Advisor rotation.

Superworm: Students, acting as scientists hired by a foundation, research and make recommendations on an unusual proposal for combating world hunger. Because healthy soil leads to improved crop yields, and because the earthworm plays such a critical role in soil health, should the foundation pursue modifications to the worm to help worms increase crop yield even further, and if so, what modifications?

About Dr. Bill Purves, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Superworm rotation.

Sports Medic: Playing the role of hospital interns, students diagnose teenage patients and recommend treatments for sports-related injuries and conditions.

About Dr. William Meltzer, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Sports Medic rotation.

Designer Genes: Playing the role of a bioethicist, students are asked to present to a (fictional) congressional subcommittee on applications of biotechnology in the genetic modification of animals, plants, and humans. Students explore both the science behind genetic modification and the ethics surrounding these technologies as they prepare for multiple rounds of presentations, focus groups and debates, as well as one final report.

About Dr. David Savada, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Designer Genes rotation.

Plant Plague: Working in various roles, students investigate plant fungi and look at their potentially devastating effects on both local agriculture and world food production. During the rotation, they will investigate and recommend solutions to these serious problems using reasoned decision-making techniques.

About Dr. Michael Coffey, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Plant Plague rotation.

About Dr. Bill Purves, subject matter advisor who appears in the videos of the Plant Plague rotation.

Medical Detective: Students work on two separate medical investigations. In one case they play the role of a private investigator examining evidence involving in a hand gun-related death. They must build a case based on the available evidence and testify in court. In another case students determine the medical explanation for the sudden collapse of a young athlete while playing sports.

About Dr. Jeff Nine, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Medical Detective rotation.

Business of Healthcare: In this rotation, students are introduced to the business of healthcare. Working as a consultant, students are hired by a fictional Colorado based hospital to analyze the financial implications of four possible investment opportunities. In addition to practicing broadly applicable finance skills, students get to investigate cutting edge medical technology and see how hospitals try to balance profitability with patient care.

About Bill Lavery, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Business of Healthcare rotation.

About Mitch Schwarzbach, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Business of Healthcare rotation.

Mystery Case: In this rotation, students play the role of medical center residents. They diagnose and recommend treatment for a young girl with some troubling but mysterious symptoms, whose diagnosis is elusive. Note: This rotation is a prerequisite to Outbreak.

About Dr. Burton Andersen, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Myster Case rotation.

Outbreak: In this rotation, students work alongside epidemiologists in an unusual outbreak investigation. Students determine what data is needed to further the investigation and how to gather, analyze, interpret that data in order to find the source of contamination so the outbreak can be contained. Students also decide how and when to communicate with different groups such as medical professionals, the press, and the public. Along the way, they work with a Statistics Team, answering incoming questions on statistics. Note: Mystery Case is a prerequisite for this rotation.

About Dr. Larry Cohen, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Outbreak rotation.

About Dr. Michael Jhung, subject matter expert who advised the development of the Outbreak rotation.