
Jennifer Thompson, MD, helps a participant place an IV.

Darshak Sanghavi, MD, talks about the cardiac cycle during a TEDxBoston adventure on Monday.
Darshak Sanghavi, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, hosted an event on Monday that allowed participants of a conference celebrating fresh ideas and ingenuity to experience being a doctor for the day. Participants of TEDxBoston came to UMass Medical School’s Simulation Lab to learn how to save the life of a child in cardiac arrest, start an intravenous line and perform spinal taps. TEDxBoston is billed as an event that “fosters a culture of innovation by sharing revolutionary ideas with citizens around the world.”
Aided by Scot Bateman, MD, clinical associate professor of pediatrics, and Jennifer Thompson, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics, Dr. Sanghavi demonstrated the high-tech simulations that medical students use to perfect their technique before moving on to actual patients–with real medical monitors, all the tools and technology for resuscitation, and a realistic, robotic patient that talked, responded to defibrillation and simulated breathing.
Participants learned basic principles of effective life support, and then learned how to diagnose and interpret heart murmurs using state-of-the-art mannequins with actual heart sounds. “Though the patients weren’t real, the learning and excitement was certainly authentic,” said Sanghavi.
Related links:
TEDxBoston
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