Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Md.  –   Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s Department of Simulation participated in the Navy League of the U.S. STEM Expo on April 7 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

“U.S. Navy Capt. F.A. “Toni” McRae, director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, contacted us to be part of the annual Sea, Air, Space, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Expo, representing Navy Medicine,” shared Dr. Jennifer C. Geracht, chief of Walter Reed’s Department of Simulation and assistant professor of pediatrics for the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

“This event was geared toward 5th through 12th graders who are interested [in] and inspired by STEM. Navy Medicine was one of the 40 organizations that participated in the event,” Geracht continued.

“The Walter Reed Department of Simulation hosted a busy booth demonstrating CPR with real-time feedback, a [model] bleeding limb with a tourniquet to stop the bleed, medical moulage displays with explanations of how it relates to training, and a ventriloscope demonstrating normal and abnormal heart and lung sounds,” Geracht added.

“Our young learners were intrigued with the interactive, hands-on display, competitions for quickest tourniquet placement, and best quality CPR, and many of them walked away with a medical moulage wound of their own,” Geracht said.

In addition to Geracht, other Walter Reed team members who participated in the day of community outreach focused on STEM included Andrew Brown, service chief of operations for the Department of Simulation; Erica Parenteau, simulation operator and medical moulage artist; Rick Parenteau, simulation operator; Hospital Corpsman (HM) 1st Class Anthony Genuino; HM2 Scott Iha; Hospitalman (HN) Adam Johnson; HN Dawn Majchszak; and HN Dayanara Rangel.

U.S. Navy Capt. (Dr.) Kelly Elmore, WRNMMC chief of staff and an obstetrician gynecologist, was also on hand for the event. She stressed the importance of the event in fostering the interest of young people in STEM, STEM careers and military medicine.

“Exposure is the key to dreaming big,” stated Robin Houston, founder of The Future Innovative Rising Engineer (FIRE) STEM Rocket Challenge organization, and a participant at the event.