Will be held at the Northampton Senior Center, starting Feb. 12.
Baystate Medical Center will bring its Mini-Medical School to Northampton, for the first time, when it holds its spring session, beginning Feb. 12 at the Northampton Senior Center.
The program – an eight-week health education series featuring a different aspect of medicine each week – will give area residents a reason to come out of hibernation from the cold winter and join others interested in the field of medicine. Classes this spring will include sessions on various medical topics, such as sleep disorders, breast cancer, anesthesiology, psychiatry, infertility and several other subjects.
Many of the “students” attending, who often range in age from 20 to 70, participate due to a general interest in medicine. and later find that many of the things they learned over the semester are relevant to their own lives. The goal of the program, according to a release, is to help members of the public make more informed decisions about their health care. while receiving insight on what it is like to be a medical student — minus the tests, interviews and admission formalities.
The classes, taught by medical center faculty, are held Wednesday nights, starting at 6 p.m., and run until 8 p.m. No basic science knowledge is needed to participate. Each participant is required to attend a minimum of six out of eight classes, in order to receive a certificate of completion.
The schedule is as follows:
Feb. 12 – “Hey, I Finally Got into Medical School!,” with Dr. Michael Rosenblum, director of the internal medicine residency program
Feb. 19 – “Sleep Disorders,” with Dr. Karin Johnson, of the division of neurology
Feb. 26 – “The Lungs, Smoking, Cancer, Anatomy & Surgery,” with thoracic surgeon Rose Ganim, department of surgery
March 12 – Infertility, with Dr. Daniel Grow, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology
March 19 – Psychiatry, with Dr. Benjamin Liptzin, chair, Department of Psychiatry
March 26 – Osteoporosis of the knee and hip, with Dr. Jordan Greenbaum, attending surgeon of New England Orthopedic Surgeons
April 2 – Anesthesiology, with Dr. Michael Bailin, chair of the department of anesthesiology
April 9 – Breast cancer/surgery, with Dr. Holly Mason, director of breast surgical services, including a graduation ceremony.
There is free parking at the Northampton Senior Center, located at 67 Conz St., and refreshments will be provided during the evening classes.
Tuition is $95 per person and $80 for Senior Class or Spirit of Women members.
Register by calling (413) 794-2255 or (1-800) 377-4325. For more information, visit www.baystatehealth.org/minimed.