Possibility to Purpose: For many high school students in Los Angeles, particularly those from economically and socially marginalized communities, the very idea of wearing a doctor’s white coat can feel beyond their grasp. A new program at Cedars-Sinai, however, is working to transform that perception.

The inaugural High School Scholars Program, hosted by Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in partnership with the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, included 50 students from schools including Phineas Banning Senior High School, Crenshaw High School STEMM Magnet, Westchester High School and Dominguez High School. The program offered the students a firsthand look at a future in healthcare.

“Our hope is that we open some eyes up to a career that has been tremendously fulfilling for me and my colleagues,” said Milton Little, MD, chief of Orthopaedic Trauma at Cedars-Sinai and one of the program’s organizers. “We want students to see what’s possible—not just in orthopedics, but across medicine: helping people, building a future, and avoiding the distractions or limitations they may face in their communities.”

Little knows this firsthand. He grew up in Harlem and lived in Los Angeles' pre-gentrified Echo Park in the late 1980s, giving him a deep and personal understanding of the challenges that students from underserved communities often face.

The half-day scholars program featured hands-on simulations, a career panel, and mentorship from orthopaedic surgeons, residents, physician assistants and other healthcare professionals. All were committed to showing students that their background doesn't define their future.

Students rotated through stations where they learned to apply casts and splints. They even drilled into synthetic bones to simulate hardware placement used in trauma surgeries. For many, it was their first time holding a surgical tool—or meeting a physician who looked like them.

“Orthopedic surgery is one of the least accessible specialties for students from underrepresented minority communities,” Little said. “Roughly 80% of orthopedic surgeons in the U.S. are white males. Black orthopedic surgeons make up just 1.5% of the field. That’s why programs like this matter.”

Among the volunteers were medical students from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory researchers, and instrument specialists from Stryker and Johnson & Johnson MedTech. Many of the program’s mentors came from backgrounds similar to the students’, making their stories all the more impactful.

“I’m from L.A., so I’m in some rough parts of it,” said Landen Coleman, from Crenshaw High School. “I met a doctor here who’s from Compton, and it was interesting seeing someone who came from my background turn their knowledge into something they can use to get out.”

The event was made possible through collaboration with Team HEAL (Helping Enrich Athletes’ Lives), a Cedars-Sinai community health program that provides high school athletes with access to certified athletic trainers, injury treatment and preventive health education. In addition to supporting athletes, Team HEAL offers students the chance to gain hands-on experience working alongside Cedars-Sinai trainers on the sidelines.

“For many students, athletics opens the door,” said Clarence Shields, MD, medical director of Team HEAL. “But we also want to show them what’s possible beyond the game. By giving them early access to mentors and real-world experiences, we’re helping them see a future in medicine they may not have known was there.”

Students like Aryeh Gustave, a Team HEAL participant from Crenshaw High School, left the program with new ambitions.

“I thought it was kind of weird that we were screwing metal into arms—like, ew,” Gustave said with a laugh. “But if it helps someone heal, I liked it. I’m actually considering doing this in the future.”

For Dayme Moraparra, a student from Dominguez High School, the impact came through the power of lived experience.

“I loved the career panel because I got to hear all their stories,” Moraparra said. “It wasn’t easy for them—and they still broke through the barriers.” Newswise/SP