Learning about diabetes, HIV and dementia was more fun than elementary school, said Justin Anderson, 9.
Justin graduated ? along with 150 men and women ? from the University of Maryland School of Medicine?s sixth annual Mini-Med School, Wednesday night.
“You get to come here, learn everything, get a degree and everything like youwould for real school, only it?s for the human body,” he said.
In its sixth year, the six-week program has drawn more people each year since its inception, organizers say, some of whom have attended all six.
“It?s interesting. Every year it?s great. Every year it?s different,” said Mary Johnson, of Gardenville.
“One year they had an anatomy session. They had plasticized organs and you could play with the organs,” said her husband William Johnson.
Many of the repeat participants showed their relationship with the presenters, giving them hugs as they received their certificates.
Over six weeks, they heard from a variety of University of Maryland professors, doctors and researchers.
Some drew laughter, such as Professor Adeleke Ogunmefun?s presentation on dementia and Reuben Mezrich?s review of the history of CT scans and radiation imagery. Others caused the more sensitive participants to hide behind their class materials from graphic images of diseased tissue splashed across a cinema-sized screen.
But they came back for more.
The school is more than just good public relations for the School of Medicine, Dean E. Albert Reese said.
“To the extent that we can educate our community about preventative medicine, we can have a significant impact on reducing disease,” Reese said. “Knowledge is power when it comes to behavioral and lifestyle disease prevention.”
He challenged participants to work on one part of their lives to improve their health: eating less, eating better or going for daily walks. “Share with one friend one of those healthy practices.
“Next year if you come back, we?ll talk about it and see how it went.”
