Hillsboro High School Students Learn About Infectious Diseases at UC

Two dozen students from Hillsboro High School got a firsthand look at the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine on Tuesday, May 8, 2018. The tour was a field trip for students taking a high school course titled Survey of Infectious Diseases.

"It is a semester-long course with seven units, designed to appeal to upperclassmen who are interested in a career in the medical field, although it is open to all students,” says Jessica Neumann, a science teacher at Hillsboro High School, located in Highland County about 55 miles east of Cincinnati. "Quite a few of my students are planning to join a nursing program or dental program, but a select few are hoping to make it to medical or veterinary school someday.”

The students  visited labs in the Medical Sciences Building and attended presentations on research and the roles of clinical studies. They also learned about a case study on infectious disease and student workers shared their experiences from the field.

"During this visit to UC, we’re learning a lot about new research,” says Neumann. "We’re from a rural community so just to be able to be in a facility like this is really helpful. Talking to people in the profession, and even just using the language becomes part of their working knowledge of infectious diseases.”

Neumann, who earned her associate of arts degree in secondary education at UC, reached out to the UC Division of Infectious Diseases for a visit earlier this year and got a positive response.

"We believe that our Infectious Diseases Program is a great asset to our community,” says Carl Fichtenbaum, MD, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. "We enjoy being able to host high school students and community members to explain what we do to care for persons with infections, educate new infectious diseases experts and create new knowledge through research in infectious diseases. It was a pleasure to see so many young people from Hillsboro High School come to UC with interest in Infectious Diseases.”