On May 25^th, 18 ninth-grade students from Greenwich Country Day School (GCDS) visited with orthopedic surgeon and ONS Foundation President Dr. Paul Sethi at the ONS medical offices on Valley Drive. GCDS science and math teacher Austin Lehn seized the opportunity to bring his students to ONS and explained, “most of the students on the visit have some level of interest or curiosity about a career in medicine. At 15 years old, they know they ‘like science’ or ‘want to help people’ but don’t know exactly how those interests may be channeled as adults.  This was a great opportunity for the students to see what a typical day might be like for an orthopedic surgeon – something that a day of biology class typically does not offer.”  The students toured the medical facility and then had a hands-on session with Dr. Sethi to learn about typical and not so typical cases seen and treated by an orthopedic surgeon. 

“They asked some great questions and seemed very interested in learning about orthopedics, surgery and about medicine in general,” said Dr. Sethi who regularly speaks to medical professionals as well as community groups on topics related to orthopaedic surgery, research and injury prevention. “One of the important aims of the ONS Foundation is to make opportunities like this available to students.  As the population ages, orthopedics and related research is an increasingly important area of medicine. We need up-and-coming medical students who are motivated to make the next discoveries and to continue to improve the health and quality of life of individuals of all ages.

According to Lehn, a few students left the office saying they “definitely want to be doctors when they grow up!”  For more information about the ONS Foundation educational opportunities for students call Foundation Coordinator Leslie Pinto at 203-869-3131.