This presentation explores the WSU Health Sciences Mentorship Program, a rural-focused initiative grounded in the belief that “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Launched in 2019, the program builds STEM and career identity beginning in grades 7–8 through early, sustained, and inclusive mentorship. Serving 11 rural districts, it offers a scalable framework for recruiting, training, and retaining mentors; engaging families; expanding awareness of high‑demand health careers; and measuring success beyond credentials to strengthen rural healthcare pathways.
Come take part in a hands-on workshop guiding you through the prep and implementation of a Body Tissue Types Dissection Lab. Attendees will dissect a raw chicken quarter- harvesting each tissue type of the body to complete each square of their sample mat (skin, adipose, muscle, tendon, ligament, bone, bone marrow, nerve, cartilage, joint capsule, etc). The lab will culminate in tearing through the chicken ACL to feel and witness the destructive capacity of force loads on joint tissues. Attendees will leave the session with a list of required supplies, copies of all written instructional materials, and having participated in the exploratory lab themselves to gain a thorough understanding of the student experience to take back to their programs.
