Anatomy Academy is a simultaneous service-learning experience for preprofessional school undergraduate students and preclinical professional students acting as classroom paraprofessional teachers (Mentors), and engaged-learning experience for fourth to sixth grade elementary school children (Students). Using didactic and kinesthetic active learning teaching strategies in small-group classroom environments, Mentors taught anatomy, physiology, and nutrition concepts to Students. In this study of the program’s early years (2012-2014), overall objectives of improving Mentors’ pedagogical confidence; and Students’ science interest, science knowledge, and exercise self-efficacy were assessed. Mentors showed (89% response of 595 surveyed) improvement in content delivery ( P < .001), student engagement ( P < .001), classroom management ( P < .001), and professionalism ( P = .0001). Postprogram Mentor reflections were categorized into 7 major themes that demonstrated personal growth through the service-learning opportunity: (1) realization of an ability to make a difference in the world now; (2) acknowledgment of the importance of listening in teaching; (3) recognition that lives can and will change with “a little love”; (4) insight into the effectiveness of guiding Students through material rather than lecturing; (5) awareness of the value of respect in the learning environment; (6) cognizance of the power of individualized attention to motivate Students; and (7) reflection of one’s own personal growth through the open influence of Students. Students showed (88% response of 1259 surveyed) improvement in science knowledge ( P = .014) and exercise self-efficacy ( P = .038), but not science interest ( P = .371). Thus, while Students are learning more science and becoming more aware of their health, we need to be more overt in our presence as scientists in the educational arena.

We present a case of a previously healthy 15-year-old girl with fever, right lower quadrant pain, and hip pain. Her history was notable for a recent laparoscopic appendectomy that was complicated by the development of intraabdominal abscesses. She reported normal bowel movements and good appetite on a regular diet, although she did endorse a recent 5-kg weight loss. Further investigation and examination revealed a diagnosis of Crohn's disease with recurrent psoas muscle abscess as the etiology of her pain and fevers. Psoas abscess is a rare complication of Crohn's disease, and vague presenting symptoms may complicate its diagnosis. This case demonstrates the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis when treating a child presenting with abdominal pain and fever.

Anatomy Academy (AA) is a novel project aimed at providing elementary school students a unique learning experience of the human body while nurturing their scientific curiosity in small group sessions. Each organ system‐based session was led by a pair of medical and undergraduate students who led interactive discussions using anatomy organ models and hands‐on activities to present applicable scientific concepts. For medical students, this provided a unique opportunity to demonstrate and deliver anatomy and physiology concepts learned through lecture and laboratory in the pre‐clinical medical school curriculum. In contrast to the passive, memory‐based education acquired from lectures and textbooks, teaching served as an effective resource for active learning that was reliant on deeper, intelligent understanding and creativity. As future physicians, medical students also benefitted from acquiring skills necessary to lead successful teams and communicate effectively with individuals of a broader range of educational backgrounds. Both mentors and mentees benefitted from AA.Grant Funding Source: The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and the UCLA Monica Salinas Fellowship

Typical classroom instruction consisting of a block period style of education often incurs problems with retention and implementation of information by students. In the outreach program Anatomy Academy, students receive holistic health instruction regarding the human body. In this study two sessions of Anatomy Academy were conducted, each executed on different time tables. The first group of students attended a week long session, spending five hours each day at the program. The second group of students was taught the same curriculum for one hour each week for six weeks. While both groups were constructed with the same student‐teacher ratio, students in the second group who were on the block schedule were unable to connect with mentors on the same level as students in the first group. The increased willingness and ability of students in Group One to incorporate mentors’ advice into healthier lifestyle choices can be attributed to 1) the trust developed in the student‐teacher relationship over multiple hours of interaction; and 2) an excitement and incentive for retaining information. The integrative approach of AA speaks to the success of immersion‐style teaching in classroom settings in encouraging students to retain and actualize information beyond just the day of instruction.Grant Funding Source: AAA