To encourage more women to pursue careers in orthopedic surgery and engineering, this weekend Beaumont Hospital’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery brought together 36 young women from area high schools — including Seaholm and Groves — for a daylong, hands-on program at Beaumont's Surgical Learning Center.
This is Beaumont’s second year hosting the Perry Initiative, which aims to get young women interested in orthopedics and engineering — fields where women currently comprise only 7 percent of the professional workforce. It's the only program of its kind in Michigan.
The event featured lectures and interactive workshops with prominent female surgeons and biomedical engineers in orthopedics. By exposing young women to these fields, more may consider them as potential careers, the organizers say.
Orthopedic surgeon Rachel S. Rohde, MD, and Erin Baker, MS, were both on hand to mentor and teach the young women selected to participate.
The Perry Initiative holds outreach programs nationwide that reach some 350 female high school students each year.
Ten young woman were selected from Seaholm High School and five were selected from Groves High School from more than 120 Oakland County applicants.
