GR student showcases her talent

Dr. Palisinski and Emily Johnson

One of the things you soon realize as a teacher is the fact that EVERY student you have possesses some talent you may or may not be aware of. The trick is to find that talent and put it to good use. At times these talents just come out of nowhere and, at least for me, often times blow you away. Just recently I had just such an experience with a former student as well as a current one.

Not long ago, a former student of mine, Lexie Hach approached me to see if I would be interested in helping to design a supplemental health curriculum that focused on teens and heart health. I was more than happy to do so and in return, Lexie actually came to my class and did a one week unit which covered issues that teens may have to deal with regarding cardiovascular health and disease. It came as no surprise that she did an excellent job and the kids really enjoyed the week she was here (she did a fantastic job but a fringe benefit may have been not having to listen to me for a week!)

During the week Lexie took them through the anatomy of the heart, various diagnostic techniques including blood pressure, heart rates and things of that nature. She also covered things such as cardiomyopathy and many other disorders that people suffer from when it comes to poor heart health and life choices. Rather than having an aging anatomy teacher cover the anatomy of the heart, Lexie put her connections to work and brought in an expert.

Lexie scheduled Dr. Robert Palusinski, M.D. to conduct the heart dissection. Dr. P. is a cardiologist practicing at Sartori hospital in Cedar Falls. He brought with him a pig heart and spent the class period dissecting the heart and carefully going over the anatomical features of the heart. A pig heart is very similar to a human heart in structure and function so as he dissected the heart, he showed students areas of the heart commonly affected by various anomalies. He did a fantastic job and in addition to giving the kids a first hand, expert tour of the heart, he has a great sense of humor and the kids really enjoyed his visit.

After he had presented his explanations of anatomy and cardiovascular disorders, it was time for Q and A. There was no shortage of questions and I was very proud of the insight and inquiry the students demonstrated. An interesting side note developed when Dr. P. said he would love to have some large illustrations of the heart to utilize as a visual for patients especially those who may some visual impairments. It just so happens we have a EXTREMELY talented budding artist among who is actually interested in a career doing medical illustrations. Emily Johnson has an enormous amount of talent and said she would love the opportunity to take a shot at. After Lexie provided Emily with the needed art supplies, Emily was off and running.

Left to right: Dr. Palisinski, Emily Johnson, a patient, Dr. Palisinski’s nurse and Deb Johnson (Emily’s mother).

The end product was an amazing view of an anterior view of the internal anatomy of the heart and all of its components. Lexie then had the artwork framed and it now hangs in the halls of Sartori hospital and Emily is not yet finished. Dr. P. would like a few more views of the heart showing the external anatomy and vascularization of the surface of the heart. He would like to be able to show patients the vessels often associated with vascular disease and heart attacks.

Emily has begun phase two of her project and we anxiously await the final product.

A huge thanks to Dr. P , Lexie and Dr. P’s nurses for the help helping us to better understand the anatomy of the heart and cardiovascular disease. We are also very appreciative of the opportunity for Emily to demonstrate to a lot of people her gift. Emily plans to study in the college of design at ISU. She hopes to be admitted to the graphic design program, but that determination is made based upon their year-long portfolio at the end of the freshman year. She eventually would like to become a medical illustrator.

Dr. Palisinski in classroom with (l-r) Emily Johnson, Kelsey Schwartz, Amber Berendes and Bailiea Evenson.