High Schoolers Inspired by Health Care Professionals: Leadership Conference Held at CHLA Spotlights Potential Career Paths

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 130 high school students and their families took part in the third annual High School Healthcare and Leadership Conference at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). This year, the conference hosted 9th through 12th grade students from over 20 different L.A.-area high schools, more than double the number of schools represented at last year’s event.

Children's Hospital Los Angeles is educating the next generation of health care professionals, including a recent conference for high schoolers on medical field career opportunities.

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“Here, today, you are all welcome, and we want to encourage you to pursue your dreams,” said CHLA Orthopedist Bianca Edison, MD, MS, FAAP, addressing a room of students and their parents during the conference.

CHLA’s Department of Surgery organized the Aug. 2^nd event in collaboration with the University of Southern California (USC) McMorrow Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI) and USC’s Medical Counseling, Organizing and Recruiting (MedCOR) program.

The conference was designed to inspire and encourage L.A. youth who are interested in health care careers. Throughout the day, health care industry speakers, including 50 CHLA staff and faculty members, led presentations and activities to promote career and leadership opportunities among the students. The staff involved ranged from anesthesiologists, neonatologists, and surgeons to financial advisors, quality and clinical effectiveness leaders, and clinical dieticians.

Video editors: See this link for b roll of conference

The students were eager to take part in these opportunities. “Working in pediatrics was always a dream for me, and to be able to learn from actual pediatricians and connect with other students is amazing,” said Canise, an incoming senior in high school. “My uncle had skin cancer, and seeing health care professionals doing everything they could to help him was inspiring. That’s where the spark started for me.”

The conference also involved informational sessions for parents, focusing on how they can support their children’s career aspirations. Denise Weibel, whose daughter attended the conference, is also a Registered Nurse in CHLA’s Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU). “My daughter has an interest in health care, but other than her mom being a nurse, she didn’t know about all the different roles there are,” Weibel said. “Most people think about a doctor or a nurse, but there is so much more that you can do.”

Dr. Edison, an attending physician in the hospital’s Jackie and Gene Autry Orthopedic Center, facilitated the event, working with Senior Project Manager Josue Arvayza and Administrative Assistant Corina Recinos. Dr. Edison led an opening keynote address with Rolando Gomez, MBA, Director of Community Relations and Strategic Initiatives at CHLA. “New voices in health care will share new ideas in terms of how to help families, how to connect with others, and more,” Gomez said.

Dr. Edison agreed. “Health innovation is the next frontier in this field, and that frontier is in your hands,” she said to the students.

After the opening address, the students split into groups to rotate through various sessions. Students toured an operating room and learned about the team members involved in surgery, led by Ambulatory Surgical Center Manager Katherine Perez. They also attended career and networking panel discussions, led by faculty and staff members such as Pediatrician Fasha Liley, MD, Senior Vice President and Surgeon-in-Chief Mark Krieger, MD, Neonatologist Kameelah Gateau, MD, MS, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Resident Eric Poole, MD, and Orthopedic Surgeon Tyler Tetreault, MD.

There were also workshops in which students learned how to intubate, or insert a breathing tube into the mouth, suture a wound, and perform CPR. In one workshop, they were taught how to tie tourniquets to control bleeding, earning a Stop the Bleed certification from the American College of Surgeons.

Another incoming senior, Anaiah, spoke about the different potential pathways the conference presented. “I saw my mom’s mom go through breast cancer, and I always wanted to be in the medical field,” Anaiah explained. “It was really eye-opening to see how many different ways there are to enter this field and all the different majors people had in college before entering health care.”

Later in the day, the conference ended with a closing keynote address led by Nina Lightdale-Miric, MD, Director of the Hand and Upper Extremity Orthopedic Program at CHLA, and 3D Printing Program Lead and Simulation Technician Satchel Clendenin. Clendenin left conference attendees with a positive message. “Build your community and always act with kindness and empathy.”

Video link here: https://childrensla.box.com/s/arq7vl4k9z0epb54vr24ehtbbv93rctf

About Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is at the forefront of pediatric medicine and is the largest provider of hospital care for children in California. Since its founding in 1901, CHLA has delivered a level of pediatric care that is among the best in the world. Ranked one of the top 10 children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles provides comprehensive and compassionate care to one of the largest and most diverse pediatric patient populations in the country. The hospital is the top-ranked children’s hospital in California and the Pacific U.S. region for 2024-25. A leader in pediatric research, CHLA is among the top 10 children’s hospitals for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles supports the full continuum of research, translating scientific discoveries into life-changing treatments for patients around the globe. As a pediatric academic medical center, CHLA is also home to one of the largest graduate education programs for pediatricians in the United States. The hospital’s commitment to building stronger, healthier communities is evident in CHLA’s efforts to enhance health education and literacy, introduce more people to careers in health care, and fight food insecurity. To learn more, follow CHLA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X, and visit CHLA.org.