Ascension and St. Vincent recently announced a partnership with Project Lead The Way (PLTW) to empower students across the nation, including local high school students, with skills and experiences that will better prepare them for college, careers and beyond. PLTW is a nonprofit organization that provides real-world, hands-on learning experiences for PreK-12 students.
Beginning this fall and throughout the school year, local high school students taking a course in the PLTW Biomedical Science program will work in teams to design and implement a biomedical experiment or develop a product using classic research methods. Students in Indianapolis as well as in Ascension markets of Austin, Texas, and Pensacola, Fla., will participate and present their projects before Ascension associates and clinical leaders serving as judges. Students will be judged on criteria such as creativity and innovation, research quality, personal demonstration of product or experiment and collaboration between team members. Top student teams will be awarded Ascension Caregiver of the Future scholarships along with a matching Ascension Healthy Communities award for each of their schools.
“We recognize the importance of preparing more students, earlier, to pursue degrees and careers in healthcare and other high-demand industries,” said Nick Ragone, Ascension’s executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, who also serves on Project Lead The Way’s board of directors. “This initiative will enable students to step into the roles of medical investigators, surgeons, microbiologists and biomedical engineers to solve medical mysteries, ultimately better preparing them to explore careers that will innovate and advance the healthcare industry in our country.”
“Providing students with access to relevant career learning opportunities is absolutely critical to the future vitality of our communities and our nation,” said PLTW President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vince Bertram. “Ascension is a leader in innovative healthcare solutions and a tremendous advocate and partner in this important work. We are proud to partner with Ascension to expand access to real-world learning for our students.”
“We are excited to partner with Project Lead The Way for this school year, as both of our organizations share a commitment to expand access and opportunity for those in need,” said Jonathan Nalli, Senior Vice President of Ascension and Ministry Market Executive of Ascension Indiana. “We believe this partnership will help provide even more learning opportunities for Hoosier children to pursue new and exciting career pathways in the health sciences.”
Ascension is also partnering with Project Lead The Way to innovate the student assessment experience by developing innovative game-based solutions in ethical reasoning and critical and creative thinking. Leaders in industry and higher education have worked alongside PLTW teachers to design simulations and problems, signaling the criticality of these skills and providing access to relevant career learning and assessment experiences.
To learn more about Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org.
About St. Vincent
In Indiana, Ascension’s St. Vincent operates 24 hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices and clinics serving central and southern Indiana and employs more than 15,000 associates. Across the state, St. Vincent provided more than $323 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2018. Serving Indiana for 145 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. As one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S, Ascension operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Visit stvincent.org to learn more.
About Project Lead The Way
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for PreK-12 students and teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. Approximately 11,500 elementary, middle and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org.