Los Angels, Mar 13: Nearly 2,000 middle school, high school and college students from throughout California registered to attend a day designed to inspire them to become the next generation of healthcare professionals.
The fourth annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit, hosted by Cedars-Sinai, gave students hands-on exposure to careers in medicine through interactive demonstrations, mentorship and panel discussions.
“We have students here from across the greater Los Angeles area and even as far away as Palm Springs,” said Nicole Mitchell, chief diversity, inclusion and wellbeing officer at Cedars-Sinai.
Throughout the day, attendees rotated through activity stations where they explored medical technologies and techniques used by healthcare professionals. Students practiced surgical suturing, learned about respiratory therapy, examined medical imaging and extracted DNA from strawberries. Students also participated in panel discussions featuring leaders in medicine, academia and sports performance, who shared insights about their journeys into the field.
For 11-year-old Marcell Jones, a student at Los Angeles Adventist Academy, the summit has quickly become a favorite annual event.
“My favorite part of today was the strawberry DNA and the breathing practice,” Jones said, referring to activities where students learned how to extract DNA and intubate a mannequin.
Jones attended the summit last year and returned this year with excitement—not just for the activities, but for the opportunity to reconnect with one of the doctors he met previously.
“I took a picture with a doctor last year and I saw him again this year,” Jones said. “So I think I’ll see him again next year.”
The experience is already shaping his future ambitions.
“When I grow up I’d like to be a surgeon,” Jones said. “Because I want to save lives.”
Mitchell said the event gives students an opportunity to explore the many possibilities within healthcare.
“Until young people can actually see it and experience it, it’s hard to imagine yourself in these roles,” Mitchell said. “Events like this give students the opportunity to explore what healthcare really looks like—from physicians and nurses to researchers and leadership roles—and hopefully spark a passion that leads them toward a career in the field.”
The event has grown dramatically since Cedars-Sinai hosted its first summit, with fewer than 100 participants. This year, nearly 2,000 registered.
“Programs like this are an important part of our mission to serve the community,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, Cedars-Sinai’s president and CEO. “By exposing young people to careers in healthcare, we can help inspire the next generation of physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals. At the same time, investing in students today helps ensure we have the skilled and compassionate workforce needed to care for our communities in the future.”
For many participants, the event provided an opportunity to see themselves reflected in the healthcare professionals they met.
Kennady Ardines, a junior at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, said the experience reinforced her ambitions.
“I want to be a pediatric ICU nurse—or maybe an obstetrician,” Ardines said. “Not a lot of pregnant women have support, especially young teen moms. I’ve always wanted to be that person for someone.”
Ardines said representation plays an important role in shaping how she envisions her future.
“It’s not a normal thing to see a Black female doctor,” she said. “I look for a Black doctor even when I go to the doctor, because I know they understand me, because they are me.”
Mitchell said the summit is also an opportunity for Cedars-Sinai employees to build a healthy future for the Southern California community.
“Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest employers in Los Angeles, and it’s important for us to show up for our community,” Mitchell said. “Our physicians, nurses and staff volunteer their time to mentor students because we believe in investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
For Jones, the experience already is helping him imagine his future.
“I feel like it’s important to come here,” he said, “to learn all the stuff to be successful.”
Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University is advancing groundbreaking research and educating future leaders in medicine, biomedical sciences and allied health sciences. Learn more about the university.
