Area Health Education Center hosts Summer Experience at CMU

On August 5, 2025, the Central and Western Area Health Education Center (AHEC) hosted students from Grand Rapids Innovation Central High School for an immersive, day-long learning experience at Central Michigan University. The visit introduced them to careers in medicine and health professions giving them a firsthand experience of college life. Organized in collaboration with the AHEC, this event supports CMU’s commitment to providing hands-on educational opportunities that inspire young people to explore higher education and careers in health care.

Students spent the day participating in sessions led by faculty, staff and current CMU students. The agenda was robust and included guided tours, a campus dining experience at Woldt Hall, and five interactive course labs including physical therapy, athletic training, exercise science, physician associate, and clinical health foundations.

The students also had the opportunity to get involved in a hands-on suture clinic led by CMU College of Medicine students.  Medical students used practice kits to demonstrate a variety of suture techniques.  Each student followed along, suturing their own kits under the supervision of students and AHEC staff.

The students said they enjoyed the opportunity to take a more in-depth look at career options.  Experiencing some of the types of work performed by health care professionals opened up other opportunities for them to consider, and they liked the variety of hands-on activities that kept them involved and engaged. 

“That’s what sets this experience apart; the direct interaction students have with CMU faculty, staff and college-aged mentors.,” said April Osburn, executive director of the Central and Western AHEC.  “These interactions give visiting high schoolers a tangible vision of college life and career possibilities just a few years ahead of them. The opportunity to walk the campus, dine in a student cafeteria, and engage in clinical simulations alongside students from the medical school and health professions programs helps demystify the college experience and foster a sense of belonging and ambition.”

The event was part of a week-long Summer Experience program offered to students in the Academy of Health Sciences and Technology (AHST)—a career-focused academy for grades 9–12 housed at Innovation Central High School. The Summer Experience is designed to introduce AHST scholars to medical and health professions programs through day-trips to four different schools and a visit to Chicago’s International Museum of Surgical Science.