This is so cool. I’m more of a hands-on person, so I really enjoy this kind of thing.

Deep in the basement laboratory of Stanford University’s Falk Cardiovascular Research Center, 31 high school and college students stood in awed silence as surgeon Paul Chang, MD, demonstrated on the room’s large screen how to dissect a pig’s heart. After a moment of watching him point out the valves, atria, ventricles and arteries of the organ, students excitedly grabbed the surgical tools in front of them and began their work.

“This is so cool,” exclaimed Daria Arzy, a student at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles. “I’m more of a hands-on person, so I really enjoy this kind of thing.”

Heart dissection is just one sliver of the Stanford Medicine Clinical Summer Internship, a new program by the Division of General Medical Disciplines that was designed to provide a diverse group of students with an up-close and personal look at the field of medicine.

Department of Medicine Chair Bob Harrington, MD, greeted the participants on their first day and encouraged them to enjoy their time on the Stanford campus. “This is an amazing place,” he shared. “I’m still excited to come to work each day.”

Throughout the course of the two-week program, students learned the foundations of patient care, including how to take a patient’s medical history and vital signs, how to perform a physical exam, and how to administer ultrasounds and injections; practiced surgical techniques; and heard from cardiologists, neurologists, and other experts. “We encountered so many different perspectives,” said Kathy Zhang, a premed student at Vanderbilt University. “It was wonderful to meet medical professionals from different backgrounds and career pursuits.”

They also had the opportunity to travel to the roof of Stanford Hospital to tour the school’s 50-foot Life Flight helicopter and to visit Stanford’s Center for Immersive and Simulation-based Learning, where they learned how to manage and treat infectious diseases.

During a guest lecture, Chloe Chien, MD, a Stanford medical student graduate and the COO of Homemade, a social healthy cooking program, shared her journey from medical student to startup co-founder. “When I was training to become a surgeon, I suddenly realized that I wanted to help prevent and heal lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes,” she said. “So I spoke to patients with chronic diseases to better understand what they were going through.” Chien later engaged the students in a lively discussion about the barriers to healthy lifestyle change, and offered three principles for healthy living: “Cook your own food, listen to your body, and eat whole, natural ingredients.”

On the final day, program organizers handed out certificates and offered their closing remarks to the group: “6 hours in the Stanford anatomy lab, 20 injected oranges, and 31 dissected sheep brains and pig hearts. By any numerical measure, this week has been impressive,” said Program Manager Misty Mazzara. “But this week was never about numbers.  It was about bringing bright young students together to introduce them to the practice of medicine.” Eva Weinlander, MD, who co-organized the internship with Sarita Khemani, MD, agreed, adding: “We have been lucky to spend time with all of you. You’ve all been so enthusiastic, professional, and supportive of each other during this journey.”

As the ceremony came to a close, participants lingered in the auditorium—hugging, taking photos, and exchanging contact information. One student echoed the sentiments of many when she yelled: “Don’t worry everyone, I’m coming back next year!”