Health Sciences tours engage, delight kids and adults alike

Anyone who has spent any time in the University of Arizona Health Sciences Innovation Building, has likely seen a surprisingly calm woman dressed in U of A-branded clothing leading a gaggle of noisy schoolchildren up the nine floors of stairs, in and out of rooms and, most assuredly, through the Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center. 

Annemarie Medina, director of corporate and community relations for the U of A Health Sciences, has also been seen leading a group of incoming freshmen with their families through BIO5 or the Coit Museum of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, showing them some of the facilities the U of A Health Sciences colleges and centers have to offer. 

Medina, who has been with the U of A Health Sciences for five years, said the tours have different purposes, depending on the audience. 

“For middle and high school students, they are designed as a pathway activity, allowing them to feel like a student for the day. They explore all the Health Science degrees that are available to them and, hopefully, that sparks an interest in attending the U of A Health Sciences someday,” said Medina. “For other groups, the tours demonstrate the expanse of what Health Sciences entails, how the research that is happening at the U of A impacts our community and them directly, and how we train our students in world-class facilities.”

Medina leads around 30 group tours and up to 15 individual tours through the Health Sciences campus each year, including the summer, when she hosts engagement days as part of various summer camps. This fiscal year, she has hosted more than 700 students, the majority of whom are in high school. 

“High school students are fascinated with ASTEC and like doing the hands-on activities, such as reviving a ‘patient’ who has flat-lined or delivering a baby,” Medina said. “The Coit Museum is also a favorite, especially the activities that they do, such as making and filling a prescription. The BIO5 tours always spark interest as it shows the students the vast array of research that is happening and ways they can be involved. For the younger students, they enjoy touching the manikins in ASTEC, doing activities in BIO5 and climbing all the stairs in HSIB.”

One thing is for certain: Students and teachers alike enjoy the time they spend with Medina experiencing some of what the U of A Health Sciences has to offer. 

“Personally, I thought it was a great experience,” said Elizabeth Bouwens, a third-grade teacher in the Tucson Unified School District. “We saw students in classes and studying. The manikins were awesome, and all the extra body parts let the students see how versatile the manikins are and how much students can learn from them.”

One of Bouwens’ students wrote, “I liked when we put all of the puzzles together because we were working together as a team figuring it out.”

Another wrote, “I liked the manikins because the students practice with them so they can be good doctors.”

Even after giving tours all these years, Medina said she still learns new things about what’s going on at the U of A Health Sciences. 

“I am amazed every tour by something new that is happening in ASTEC or BIO5,” said Medina. “Discoveries are happening so quickly and the way we address issues is so unique. The knowledge and dedication of our faculty, researchers and students blow me away every day.”