WVSOM introduces second summer camp for high-school-aged students  

LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVDN) – This summer, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) will add a second educational camp for high school students, supplementing its popular Just Say KNOW camp. The inaugural Clinical Anatomy Summer Experience (CASE) camp will take place 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., June 26-30, on the school’s campus in Lewisburg.

There is no cost to attend CASE, which is designed for high school students 15 and older and will focus on hands-on clinical anatomy education in the classroom and WVSOM’s gross anatomy lab. A total of 10 students will have the opportunity to learn about anatomical structures and their clinical importance through a series of interactive activities.

Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher and an essay outlining their experience in learning anatomy and what they hope to gain from attending the camp. Students may apply by June 2 at www.wvsom.edu/summer-camps or contact Karen Wines, M.S., at kwines@osteo.wvsom.edu for more information.

Wines, a WVSOM anatomy instructor who will lead the camp in conjunction with a medical student intern, said CASE will expand on the Anatomy Lab Educational Program in which WVSOM has hosted high school students and allied health profession students for nearly 40 years.

“We’re excited to present this unique opportunity to selected students who have shown an interest in gaining a deeper understanding of how the body is built,” Wines said. “Our goal is to provide an experience in WVSOM’s gross anatomy lab that will allow participants to gain a greater appreciation for the human form, learn about clinical correlations resulting from findings during lab investigations and experience how the osteopathic approach encompasses care for the mind, body and spirit. The camp also will give participants a peek at what it’s like to be a medical student and a better understanding of a variety of health care careers.”

The CASE camp will take place the week following the school’s long-running Just Say KNOW camp, which is scheduled for 9 a.m.-4 p.m., June 19-23. In its 11^th year, Just Say KNOW will have a theme of lifestyle medicine.

Just Say KNOW is available at no cost to ninth through 12^th graders and recent high school graduates. Those interested may apply by June 2 at www.wvsom.edu/summer-camps by submitting a teacher recommendation and an essay on what they hope to gain from participating or contact Crystal Boudreaux, Ph.D., at cboudreaux@osteo.wvsom.edu for more information. There are 20 spots for attendees.

Boudreaux, a WVSOM biomedical sciences faculty member who oversees the Just Say KNOW program, explained the decision to highlight lifestyle medicine. Previous camps have focused on topics such as pharmacology, anatomy, neuroscience and pandemics.

“This year, we wanted to highlight two WVSOM programs that contribute to lifestyle medicine,” Boudreaux said. “Our Exercise is Medicine and culinary medicine programs are nationally recognized and are part of the school’s curriculum. Just Say KNOW provides an opportunity to showcase these programs through practice, including cooking in the Clingman Center for Community Engagement kitchen and performing exercise routines to promote a culture of wellness and optimal health. Students will learn the basis of nutrition and the physiology behind a healthy diet and exercise.”

The CASE camp is funded by a grant from the Jeanne G. Hamilton and Lawson W. Hamilton Jr. Family Foundation, with support from the WVSOM Foundation and WVSOM Alumni Association. Just Say KNOW is sponsored by the WVSOM Foundation and WVSOM’s Rural Health Initiative.