Biomedical Youth Program Summer Camp an inspiring experience

Renee Ettawakapow knew she wanted to go into health care as a career, but after attending the 15th annual Biomedical Youth Program (BYP) Summer Camp, she has now set her sights on becoming a surgeon.  

“I believe I can make it because everybody is inspiring me here,” said Ettawakapow, who moved to Winnipeg from Moose Lake, Man. last year and is going into Grade 12 at Maples Collegiate.  

“It’s good to be a doctor because you save lives and help people. I really love helping people.”  

Ettawakapow is one of 120 students from Grades 7 to 12 who took part in the camp held on the Bannatyne campus from July 20 to 24. The group included 15 Indigenous high school students from northern Manitoba.  

The students explored careers in the health and biomedical sciences through hands-on workshops. Eighty sessions were held over the week on topics that included dentistry, 3D microscopy, pharmacy and interprofessional health care.  

Eye-opening experience

Dr. James Gilchrest, BYP program director, said the overall aim of the camp is to raise curiosity about science and the impact that it has on the world.  

“It’s a great program for kids trying to decide what it is they want to do with their future,” said Gilchrist, department head and professor of oral biology at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry.

That’s the reason Janitha Gnanarathna wanted to attend the camp.  

“I signed up because I’m not sure what I want to do when I’m older and I felt like this would be a good way to get some experience, and see if this is something I like,” said Gnanarathna, who is heading into Grade 11 at St. Maurice School.  

She said she enjoyed the heart dissection session, so becoming a surgeon is a possibility.  

Benjamin Moung, who is going into Grade 12 at Kelvin High School, was thinking of pursuing medicine, but the life of a scientist is now on his radar.  

“I didn’t know that much about research, and meeting all these PhD and master’s students really opened my eyes to research,” Moung said.

“Before the camp, I was like, ‘Research is a lab job and is kind of boring,’ but now I can see how invested these people are and how important it is.”  

Undergrad and grad student expertise

Not only is the camp a chance for the students to learn, Gilchrist said it’s an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to gain valuable teaching experience.

“They don’t get enough opportunities to teach. These activities that we run give them an opportunity to stand up in front of a group of people and sort of flap their wings as teachers,” Gilchrest said.  

Kartik Sachar is one of the 80 undergrad and grad students who volunteered. Sachar, a PhD student in microbiology at UM’s Faculty of Science, started volunteering as an undergraduate student in 2018 and is now the BYP camp coordinator.  

“I’ve been part of this program for a long time and really enjoy it,” Sachar said.  

“The kids who come through this program are very bright. To experience a group of enthusiastic young people coming through this program is honestly great.”