Morgan Cheatham, Sarah Yung, Lydia Murphy, Caroline Flechas, Mamie Barton, and Crystal Gao were selected to participate in the highly notable Perry Initiative all-day event in September. This competitive program selects applicants around the country to participate in an educational event during which female students learn hands-on about the fields of orthopedic surgery and engineering. JA students attended the event at UMMC.
Participants had the chance to perform mock surgeries on leg bones….they had to drill, hammer, saw, screw, and insert rods to simulate how a surgeon repairs a real fracture. They also learned about the engineering designs of the specific tools that were used to fix certain bones. They even had to learn the process of putting a cast on each other and sewing sutures on a training material that simulates real skin. Participants took home all the bones and casts they made. The Perry Initiative’s mission through these events is to inspire girls to explore the fields of orthopedics and engineering.
JA has had success inspiring female students to pursue the fields of orthopedics and engineering. Notably, Sarah Criddle ’13 is currently completing an orthopedic residency at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, after earning her medical degree at UVA. Once her residency is complete, she hopes to pursue a spine surgery fellowship. Clarke Wilkirson ‘16 took a medical engineering path. She graduated form the University of Alabama in mechanical engineering with a minor in biology. She is completing her Ph.D. at Rice University and is the lead author of articles published in peer reviewed journals related to developing new medical diagnostic devices. She regularly speaks at conferences about her work.
Congratulations to JA’s current and future professionals in the fields of orthopedic surgery and engineering!
Sarah Criddle ’13
Undergraduate: University of Mississippi
Medical School: University of Virginia
Orthopaedic Surgery Residency: Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island
Clarke Wilkirson ’16
Undergraduate: University of Alabama
Ph.D. Program in Mechanical Engineering: Rice University in Houston, Texas
