AltaMed Helps Students Build Skills for Health Careers

The AltaMed Escalera and Avanzando Through College programs give students in under-resourced communities exposure to careers in health care.

Forty-five college and high school students took part in AltaMed’s workforce development department’s first Bio Skills Day, which gave them a close-up look at different career paths in the health field.

The morning began with a panel discussion featuring members of the AltaMed team: Marco Angulo, M.D., Medical Director; Norma Perez, M.D., staff pediatrician; and Edmond Davis, Senior Director for Health Equity for Zimmer Biomet, a global leader in innovative orthopedic solutions.

For the first time, we have partnered with one of the leading med tech companies, Zimmer Biomet, in exposing students to the world of orthopedics. Members from Zimmer Biomet’s health equity team (Courtney Havens-Mitchell, Bishop James, and Lindy Shaw) flew out for the workshop and brought cutting-edge equipment that allowed the students to practice mixed reality medicine. AltaMed medical staff led students in hands-on workshops practicing actual medical techniques.

Dr. Marco Angulo led a suturing workshop where students were able to practice sutures hands-on.

Jocelyn Cruz, a senior from South East High School, said, “I liked the suturing workshop because it was a hands-on experience that we participated in and learned based [off] a short presentation. Being able to use pig feet to practice how to suture was the closest thing to a human skin which was a good experience.”

Daniel Diaz, M.D., Sports Medicine Medical Director, led students in an ultrasound imaging workshop.

During the workshop session led by Zimmer staff, students donned Mixed-Reality Headset goggles that combined the real and virtual worlds. The headset is part of Zimmer Biomet’s mixed-reality system, which transforms how patients and care teams learn about complex procedures, products, and workflows.

The workshops were well-received by students like Nayomi Perez from South Gate High School, who said, “What I enjoyed about this event was that we were able to do hands-on activities and learn from professionals who know a lot about healthcare. They were very helpful and passionate about what they do, which made my experience way better.”