From High School to Health Care Leadership: Conference Held at CHLA Encourages Teens of Color to Become Tomorrow’s Leaders

“Have you ever been in a situation where you were told that you do not belong?” Bianca Edison, MD, MS, FAAP, posed this question to a room of high school students of color and their parents. Several individuals raised their hands. “I want everyone this morning to turn to their neighbor and say, with conviction, ‘I belong here today,’” Dr. Edison continued. “It really uplifts me to see everyone here because I am looking out at our future leaders.”

This was how Dr. Edison kicked off the second annual High School Healthcare and Leadership Conference on June 27, 2024. The event was organized and hosted by the Department of Surgery Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Workgroup at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, along with the USC McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI) and the USC Medical Counseling, Organizing and Recruiting (MedCOR) program.

The conference works to inspire Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) who are high school students and are interested in health care careers. The event uses a mix of industry speakers and hands-on activities to expose students to career opportunities, promote leadership skills and inform parents. This year, the conference was held at CHLA’s Sunset Campus, bringing in 9th through 12th grade students from 10 different Los Angeles-area high schools.

Dr. Edison, an Attending Physician in the Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center, serves as Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery’s DEI Workgroup, as well as the Chair in Health Equity in Surgery supported by the Hearthland Foundation. She facilitated the conference. The event was moderated in part by another member of the workgroup, Josue Arvayza, Senior Project Manager in the Department of Surgery.

As she opened the event, Dr. Edison highlighted underrepresented communities in health care. “There are currently 5.7% of U.S. physicians who identify as Black. However, Black-identifying people make up 13% of our country’s population. And there are 6% of our U.S. physicians who identify as Latina and Latino, but 19% of our U.S. population identifies as Latina and Latino. You see the discrepancies that exist. We are here this morning to try and plant the seeds to change that.”

Conference highlights

Next, the conference featured a panel discussion focused on the importance of diversity in medicine. This conversation featured two doctors and a physician assistant student who had all participated in the NAI or MedCOR programs when they were younger.

Next, the high school students split into two groups that would rotate through different sessions for the rest of the day. The 11th and 12th graders headed to a “Careers in Healthcare and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)” panel, featuring Jessica Lee, MD, Director of CHLA’s Gender Affirmation Surgery Program, Edward C. Diaz, MD,  Co-Director of the Vascular Anomalies Center, and Department of Surgery Financial Administrator Kyle Miller. Drs. Lee and Diaz highlighted the value of job shadowing opportunities. “I had the chance to shadow my uncle, who is a plastic surgeon,” Dr. Lee said. “I just thought, ‘This is amazing. I have to do this.’”

Kyle encouraged students who felt that medical school might not be their desired path. “I wanted to be in health care and to help people, but in my way,” he said. “I was good at math and was able to understand finance and budgets, so working in the administrative space has been very good for me.”

Meanwhile, 9th and 10th grade students took part in a workshop focused on building an empathetic team environment. This workshop, along with several others during the conference, was led by J.P. Dulay from the nonprofit organization Positive Coaching Alliance.

At the same time, the students’ parents attended a “Research and STEM Innovation” panel led by Pat Levitt, PhD, CHLA’s Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer and Director of The Saban Research Institute, along with Stefano Da Sacco, PhD. Drs. Levitt and Da Sacco spoke about the constant scientific problem-solving that makes medical research both challenging and exciting.

The conference’s remaining morning sessions included a “Time Management” presentation from Anita Herrera-Hamilton, PhD, ABPP-CN, a “Mental Health Fitness and Mindfulness” seminar featuring Director of Psychology Anya Griffin, PhD, two leadership workshops and a “Networking, Mentorship, Sponsorship” session led by Division of Neurosurgery Chief Susan Durham, MD, MS, and Mona Patel, MD, Chief Integrated Delivery Systems Officer and President of the CHLA Medical Group. A second “Careers in Health Care and STEM” panel included Arlanna Moshfeghi, MD, MPH, Aimee Kim, MD, and Director of Patient Care Services Education and Research Jennifer Baird, PhD, MPH, MSW, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CPN. This panel discussed overcoming adversity and learning from failures. “I have been rejected from places and I have had to reapply for things,” Dr. Kim said. “Everyone’s journey looks different.”

Following an outdoor mentors luncheon with additional CHLA faculty and staff, including Division of Dentistry Head José C. Polido, DDS, MS, and Physical Therapists Mia Katzel, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, and Jeremy Wong, PT, DPT, PCS, the high school students and their parents headed back inside for the conference’s afternoon sessions.

Firsthand experience

The afternoon sessions included a college preparation and financial literacy presentation for parents, and a third “Careers in Health Care and STEM” panel. This panel, geared toward parents, included Transplant Services Administrator Stephanie Johnson, RN, MBA, Jonathan Santana, DO, and Vice President and Chief Ambulatory Performance Officer Ashish Buttan. The group emphasized encouraging kids’ passions. “If you do something you love, you’re going to put everything into it every single day,” Johnson said.

In the afternoon, students took part in two separate hands-on Surgical Skills workshops. One, led by Michelle Rodriguez, MS, ATC, CSCS, Alyssa Vaniman, DAT, ATC, and Tiffany Ghandour, ATC, focused on practicing CPR and learning how to tape wrist and hand injuries.

The other Surgical Skills workshop, led by Mofya Diallo, MD, MPH, Vascular Anomalies Center Co-Director Dean Anselmo, MD, FACS, FAAP, and Mary Roz Timbang, MD, explored intubation and suturing. Students tried their hand at guiding an endotracheal tube into a mannequin’s mouth and stitching up simulated tissue using a suturing practice kit.

Finally, all students and parents gathered for a concluding keynote presentation delivered by artist, curator, patient advocate and USC Humanities, Ethics, Art, and Law (HEAL) Program Artist in Residence Ted Meyer, who spoke about using art to chronicle patient strength. Dr. Edison then delivered the final statements of the day, summarizing the conference’s major themes of overcoming failures, listening to intuition, and not being afraid to ask questions. “The topics and discussions don’t end here–please continue them together,” she said. “And we will continue to offer opportunities like this for you all because we truly believe in every single one of you.”