First published in CUIMC News.
Chef Rocco DiSpirito visited the medical center campus on Aug. 6 to cook and talk with nearly a dozen NYC high school students participating in a pre-college program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center aimed at increasing student interest in health care professions.
The program, Columbia University Health Science Exploration and Research (CU-HERE), aims to help young people who may not have imagined themselves as health care professionals discover the wide variety of available careers.
The students, all from city neighborhoods surrounding CUIMC, observe surgical procedures in the OR, experience laboratory research, and even speak to patients during the two weeks they’re on campus. This year, four groups of 10 to 12 students are participating in the program.
“We’re not just trying to get them interested in becoming physicians,” said Lisa Wiechmann, MD, breast surgeon and associate professor of surgery at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, who created the program in 2022. Because a wide variety of professionals is needed in health care, “students meet physician assistants, nurses, researchers, medical assistants, just about every profession.”
“Speaking with patients who share their stories always has the greatest impact on the students,” Wiechmann said. “And I think that's the best way to get people interested in caring, curing, and treating.”
Several students from the first cohort are now in college and pursuing careers in medicine and research.
As he whipped up a batch of cacio e pepe for the students, DiSpirito, a James Beard award-winning chef, dispensed lessons in cooking (“don’t break the pasta”) and life (“stay curious”), while answering students’ questions.
The cooking demonstration, organized with the help of Sabrina Diano, director of the Institute of Human Nutrition, was designed to show the students the importance of nutrition for health, well-being, and disease management.
“We also wanted to show the students how easy it can be to prepare healthy meals,” said Moneek Madra, assistant professor of nutrition. “When you prepare meals on your own, you can control what's in those meals, the amount of sodium, the types of fats that you're using, and you can use ingredients that you keep on hand for an easy meal.”