Pathology Lab
One-Week Summer Medicine Program
Love medicine? Love mysteries? Make life-saving diagnoses and solve criminal cases in this fascinating take on Pathology, a riveting medical specialty.
Do you love shows like House and Diagnosis, where finding the causes for an unexplained medical condition can mean the difference between life and death? Students will have the opportunity to solve a medical mystery using tests and methods from pathology. Students will also look into clusters of cases or rashes of illnesses, running tests to examine possible environmental toxins.
Next up, students will be transported to an HMO, where they will learn to process, examine, and diagnose common medical conditions based on blood and urine tests gathered in routine medical check-ups and visits to primary care providers. Learn how to interpret all those readings that come back on white blood cell counts, red blood cell counts, and more from your annual visit as well as how Pathologists diagnose conditions such as strep throat, pneumonia, and even Lyme Disease using specialized tests.
Then it’s on to the Forensics lab, where you will learn the tools needed to solve crimes. Was the victim poisoned? Were they a victim of trauma? Or maybe the suspect should be released because the victim succumbed to natural causes?
Next, students will dive into the fascinating world of Oncology, learning how they might assist Oncologists during surgery by conducting minute by minute, real-time assessments of whether biopsied tissue is cancerous to ensure that the surgeon has left clean margins. They will use photographs and slides to search for cancer and will learn techniques involving macro examination such as measuring, photographing, and written description of shape, color, consistency, and smell. You will compose write-ups of examinations of internal organs.
Finally, it’s time to enter the world of genetic diseases, learning what to look for and how to diagnose common as well as rare conditions using karyotypes. They will then provide genetic counseling to a fictitious family.
Past Instructor: Adam Andrew
Mr. Andrew teaches Biology at St. Sebastian’s School, a top-ranked prep school in the Greater Boston Area. He earned his Master’s in Biochemistry from Brandeis University. Prior to teaching, Mr. Andrew worked at a biotech company for 13 years, where he did protein purification of cytokines and antibodies.
Student Comments
‘I absolutely loved this class, the teacher was awesome and I learned so much! I will definitely be returning next year!
‘I liked the interactiveness of the labs and the overall energy of the course. The instructor was really nice and helpful.’
‘I liked the amount of info that was taught to us during the lectures, and how the lectures weren’t only just the teacher talking, but also asking us questions and giving us context. I also enjoyed the labs, as it gave us some hands-on experience and opportunities.’
Note: This page represents our best expectations for the program. Activities and instructors are subject to change. In such cases, similar activities and a comparably qualified instructor will be sought.
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