Layout 1 (Page 1) - North Dakota Medicine

Jason Askvig
2011
Doctoral Student
Anatomy & Cell Biology
Des Lacs, ND
Donny and Jody Askvig
Stephanie Domrose
2010
Master’s Degree Student
Clinical Laboratory
Science
Bemidji, MN
Christine and John
Fogelquist, Karl and
Maryan Domrose
Laurel Grisanti
2011
Doctoral Student
Pharmacology,
Physiology &
Therapeutics
White Salmon, WA
Gary and Kathy Grisanti
Tours of the UND medical school are available
for groups, middle-school-age and older. Besides
the anatomy and cell biology, clinical laboratory
sciences, and pharmacology, physiology and
therapeutics portions of the tour, groups can
request others, such as physical therapy and the
skeletal system. Each session runs about 30
minutes.
Please visit: www.med.und.edu/publicaffairs/
tourrequestform.pdf
She became interested in PPT because it combines portions of
biology and chemistry, she says. It also involves medicine, something
she’s been interested in since she was young because her mother works
in a hospital lab.
“I like how PPT gives the opportunity to be involved in finding and
developing therapeutics that may improve the lives of patients,” she says.
“It’s nice to be able to share what I am passionate about with others.”
During the tours, Grisanti teaches the group about the heart. She
offers a brief overview of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and
then talks about electrical conduction with electrocardiograms (EKGs).
Everyone in the group can have their EKG taken.
After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 2006 from
Willamette University in Salem, OR, Grisanti came to UND for PPT.
She is planning to graduate in 2011. After finishing her PhD, she
would like to stay in academic research, she says.
Enthusiasm and curiosity
Askvig, Domrose and Grisanti are amazed by the enthusiasm and
curiosity of the kids. Of all the groups they lead, they say the younger
ones stand out the most because they are full of questions, sometimes
surprisingly specific ones. They plan to continue volunteering not only
because they enjoy it, but because they want to expose people to
careers in medicine beyond that of a doctor. According to James
Porter, PhD, associate professor of PPT, Grand Forks, they are just
right for the job.
“The student-volunteers provide a great way to see students involved
in the community. They have the advantage of being closer in age, so
the kids see them as more relatable. It’s not just another teacher,” he said.
The graduate students go “above and beyond,” he says. And while
educating others is their main focus, these student-volunteers are also
learning something themselves.
“One of the most important things we desire for our graduate
students is that they develop a sense of professional responsibility for
serving their community,” says Kenneth Ruit, PhD, associate professor,
vice chairman and director of graduate education in the Department of
Anatomy and Cell Biology, Grand Forks.
“These students volunteer because they love to teach and have a
heart for outreach beyond the medical school. They are an
important example and a reminder to all of us.”
- Andrea Herbst
Or call the Office of Public Affairs:
701-777-4305
34 NORTH DAKOTA MEDICINE Spring 2009