Baystate Begins Registration for Fall Mini-Medical School

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Medical Center’s Mini-Medical School, which begins its fall session on Sept. 18, is now accepting registrations for the eight-week health-education series.

Offered in a relaxed atmosphere in the hospital’s Chestnut Conference Center, the special program is designed to help the public make more informed decisions about their healthcare while receiving insight on what it is like to be a medical student — minus the tests, late-night study sessions, interviews, and admission formalities.

Mini-Medical School, designed for an adult audience, features a different aspect of medicine each week. Classes this fall will include sessions on various medical topics including surgery, pathology, psychiatry, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, thoracic surgery, and osteoarthritis of the knee and hip.

Each class is taught by Baystate Medical Center faculty, who explain the science of medicine without resorting to complex terms. All classes are held Thursday nights starting at 6 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. Among the topics and speakers slated for the fall semester are:

Sept. 18: “Hey, I Finally Got into Medical School!” with Dr. Michael Rosenblum, director, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Baystate Medical Center (includes a general tour of the hospital).

Sept. 25: “Anesthesiology” with Dr. Michael Bailin, chair, Department of Anesthesiology, Baystate Medical Center.

Oct. 2: “Surgery” with Dr. Richard Wait, chair, Department of Surgery, Baystate Medical Center (includes a tour of the Simulation Center and Goldberg Surgical Skills Lab).

Oct. 9: “Psychiatry” with Dr. Benjamin Liptzin, chair, Department of Psychiatry, Baystate Medical Center.

Oct. 16: “The Lungs, Smoking, Cancer, Anatomy, and Surgery” with Dr. Rose Ganim, thoracic surgeon, Baystate Medical Center.

Oct. 23: “Emergency Medicine” with Dr. Joseph Schmidt, vice chair, Emergency Medicine, Baystate Medical Center.

Oct. 30: “Pathology” with Dr. Richard Friedberg, chair, Department of Pathology, Baystate Medical Center (includes a tour of the lab).

Nov. 6: “Osteoarthritis of the Knee and Hip” with Dr. Jordan Greenbaum, attending surgeon, New England Orthopedic Surgeons (includes a graduation ceremony).

Tuition is $95 per person and $80 for Senior Class and Spirit of Women members. Register for the fall session by calling Baystate Health Link at (800) 377-4325 or (413) 794-2255 or by visiting baystatehealth.org/minimed.