Med Students Spark STEMM Ambitions in High Schoolers at Anato-Bee Competition
Future scientists empowered through mentorships.
High school student Macy Kiker takes the anatomy lab practical exam at the Anato-Bee. Over 30 Jefferson medical students and anatomy faculty members facilitated the competition. (Photos by Steve Belkowitz)
I discovered my love for anatomy as a high school senior. I found it fascinating to transform theoretical knowledge from textbooks into a tangible, practical understanding of the human body. Thanks to this exposure in high school, I focused my educational journey toward medical school to learn more about the anatomical sciences.
As a Sidney Kimmel Medical College student, I must complete a Scholarly Inquiry project through the JeffMD curriculum. As I pursued a medical education project in anatomy, I connected with Dr. Jenna Hagerty, assistant professor in anatomy and co-founder of the Anato-Bee, a national high school competition in the anatomical sciences.
Anato-Bee works to inspire students to achieve careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM). I would have benefited from such a competition in high school, so I seized the opportunity to work with Dr. Hagerty and Anato-Bee and mentor students as they find their passion and possible career paths in anatomy.
As diversity and inclusion remain an issue in the STEMM workforce, Anato-Bee strives to provide opportunities for underrepresented students and those facing financial hardship. Developed with these students in mind, the Anato-Bee Inclusivity Travel Sponsorship (ABITS) provides financial assistance for Anato-Bee participants to attend the competition.
Sidney Kimmel Medical College student Dominic Finan (center) introduces Anato-Bee participants Mehnaz Ahmed (left) and Aadya Sathua (right) to the anatomical donors.
In my role, I helped construct the ABITS application and prepared the submissions for faculty review. From there, I gathered quality assessment and quality improvement data on the submissions, showing that the funding went to students with financial hardship and who are underrepresented in the STEMM community.
To prepare for the competition, high school registrants received resources curated by medical students and anatomy faculty from Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM) and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Auburn, Ala. These resources included biweekly tutoring sessions; an Anato-Bee Gross Anatomy Atlas created by Maxwell Martin, Eric DiDomenico and Preston Carey (Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Class of 2026); and Anato-Bee Histology Atlas by Anish Sethi (DUCOM, Class of 2026).
The inaugural Anato-Bee competition began on Feb. 24, with students from across the nation virtually participating in the preliminary local competition. Over 700 students registered, and the top 40 from each of the four regions moved on to the in-person regional competitions.
Health Design Lab Special Projects Manager MaryEllen Daley talks to Anato-Bee participants.
On the weekend of April 6, Jefferson hosted the Eastern Regional Anato-Bee Competition, facilitated by over 30 medical student volunteers and anatomy faculty. Following a welcome by Jefferson President Dr. Susan Aldridge, the participants dove in, starting with a 125-question multiple-choice exam.
Afterward, they enjoyed lunch with current medical students and faculty, where the high schoolers asked for advice and learned about their careers. Participants then were introduced to the immeasurable gift of our anatomical donors. They discussed the complex ethics of human body donation before engaging in last-minute exam prep with medical students.
The students finished the day with a 50-question anatomy practical with the human gifts and an exam of 10 standardized patients. The standardized patient exam involved medical students acting as patients while the high school participants played the part of physicians, working a differential before making their diagnosis.
The night concluded with a talk by Associate Professor Dr. Nanette Tomicek. She detailed her educational journey to her current position as anatomy and physiology course director in the College of Life Sciences at East Falls Campus. She even showed a picture of her in a high school anatomy dissection, reflecting on the intrigue the participants felt hours earlier when meeting the human gifts. Dr. Tomicek emphasized how her path was just one of many they could embark on in the anatomical sciences.
Associate Professor Dr. Nanette Tomicek discussed her educational journey to her current position as anatomy and physiology course director in the College of Life Sciences at East Falls Campus.
On the final day, participants completed an oral exam before their chaperones, families and medical student volunteers. As the facilitators tallied the complete scores, the students took part in a moment of gratitude for the human gifts, writing cards to the donors’ families.
Reflecting on the weekend, the medical students felt immense amazement. Witnessing high school students exhibit such advanced anatomical knowledge was truly remarkable. Their curiosity and proactive approach to learning were particularly inspiring. The students asked insightful questions, wanting to understand the why and how behind the answers.
I felt honored to help Anato-Bee provide opportunities and inspiration for these well-deserving students to achieve their educational goals and careers in STEMM.
Sarah Winiker is a second-year Sidney Kimmel Medical College student.
Dr. Jenna Hagerty, Jefferson assistant professor and Anato-Bee co-founder, awarded winning student Vincent Foschino. (Photo by ©Thomas Jefferson University Photography Services)
