Medical Students Bring STEM Activities to Pediatric Patients

In the Great Room at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, a group of pediatric patients and medical students work together to fashion a toothbrush, some pipe cleaners, and a battery into a mechanical spider. It’s an arts-and-crafts activity sprinkled with lessons on arachnids and robotics. Smiles and laughter spread throughout the room as the spiders begin to dance across the folding tables. According to medical student Patrick Kramer, this environment of education and fun is the goal of today’s gathering.  

“There are a lot of systems already in place to make sure that the children are keeping up with their education, but obviously it’s very difficult in the hospital when you’re disrupted by treatments and various other things,” Kramer says. “So, it’s always great to have another opportunity to learn, interact with other kids and volunteers, and have somewhat of a normal experience with these activities.” 

Kramer is a board member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine student group TEACH, which stands for Together Educating All Children in Hospitals. Once a month, the group of 25 medical students organizes activities designed to teach inpatients at the Children’s Center about STEM. More than 50 patients participate in the TEACH programs each year. Past activities have included trying to find Pi by measuring the circumferences of different objects and creating lava lamps in a water bottle.  

“We try to tailor activities to work for different ages,” Kramer says. “For younger kids doing the spider activity, the lesson is about how spiders are arachnids with eight legs and six eyes. For the older children, we tend to focus more on the mechanics behind how the robotic spider moves.”  

For Kramer, the most rewarding part of volunteering with TEACH is watching when the activity comes together for the patients after applying what they learned. 

“There’s a moment where things just click, like the lava lamp suddenly starts bubbling, or the spider starts dancing across the table,” Kramer says. “That’s always my favorite moment, watching the kids’ eyes light up.” 

This year’s activities were made possible thanks to a gift by Dr. Giannina Garcés-Ambrossi Muncey, Med ’09 (MD). As a member of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Alumni Association’s Alumni Council, Muncey reviews proposals from School of Medicine students, residents, and fellows looking to receive a grant sponsored by the association. Every year, they receive many requests, but Muncey felt TEACH’s application, which showcased the work they do with children, went above and beyond. 

“I thought they were so superlative that I wanted to directly take the opportunity to fund them myself,” Muncey says. “I’m a parent as well as a physician, and I see the need for support for pediatricians, for families, and for the children who are hospitalized.” 

“The funding from Dr. Muncey is critical to TEACH,” Kramer says. “Every bit of funding goes a long way and allows us to change up the activities and have creative freedom to work with the kids on things we think would interest them most.” 

For Muncey, giving through the alumni association and her support of TEACH is a way to pay forward the opportunities she received at the School of Medicine. 

“I went to Hopkins on a scholarship that completely changed my life, gave me new opportunities, and allowed me to serve my community,” Muncey says. “Hopkins showed me a world of possibilities I had never imagined, and now I try to give back to the community by participating in the alumni association.” 

Currently studying medicine with plans to specialize in neurosurgery after graduation, Kramer says he’ll carry the lessons he’s learned in TEACH into his career in medicine. 

“Working with kids and volunteering is a reminder that the medicine itself is not all of the treatments that you’re giving the kids,” Kramer says. “You have to look at what their education is like. What are their fun activities? How are they able to express themselves creatively? It’s an important reminder to really look at the holistic aspect of their care in the hospital.”