WesternU COMP-Northwest welcomes local kindergarteners to annual Mini-Medical School
On Friday, April 17, 2026, Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest (COMP-Northwest), which is in the process of transitioning to its new name, the Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine, hosted local kindergarten students from six elementary schools in the Lebanon Community School District for the 16th annual Mini-Medical School.
Mini-Medical School brings learning to life for kindergarten students across the community, inviting them to step onto the WesternU campus and explore the world of health and wellness through fun, interactive activities. This year, the students learned about bones and the skeletal system, germs and handwashing, and the heart. The kindergartners even took on the role of young surgeons, scrubbing in to learn about and explore the body’s organs.
Each rotation was led by COMP-Northwest student volunteers. First-year COMP-Northwest students Evan Jarvis, Huy Hoang, and Adam Voigt led students through their surgery station, teaching the kids how to put on their surgical gowns and gloves to identify organs. Using felt organs, the children each practiced putting them in their proper place on the body and discussing the function of each one.
“Today we were just teaching the kindergarteners about what surgery is, talking to them about what your organs do, and just having fun,” said Hoang. “I’m sure in future practice as a doctor, I’ll be working with little kids, and I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to work with them yet. So, I think it’s a great experience to get to see their energy and then try to match that energy.”
For the medical students, Mini-Medical School provides a unique opportunity to take a break from studying and exams and enjoy sharing about the subjects they are most passionate about.
“I think this whole year has been necessarily serious. Especially this first year as we’ve tried to build a base of medical knowledge that’s going to carry us forward for the next years of our life. This was a fun opportunity to be able to come and have fun with the kindergarteners who may or may not be interested in medicine at this point. I think it’s a good reminder of both why we’re here, and also a good reminder that we need to find ways to have fun and be human amongst all of this very serious learning that we’ve been doing,” said Jarvis.
“It is really serious in medical school and it’s nice to just be able to laugh, have fun, and show people the joys of medicine,” added Voigt.
Mini-Medical School has been a unique COMP-Northwest tradition since the opening of the college in 2011, when local kindergarten teacher Sarah Haley wrote to University leadership to ask them to adopt her class as part of the No Excuses University (NEU) college pathway program.
“Since 2011, Mini Medical School has been a cherished kindergarten field trip in the Lebanon School District, connecting our youth to health care through fun, hands-on learning while planting the seeds for future career pathways,” said COMP-Northwest Assistant Professor of Population Health Science Jeannie Davis, EdD, who oversaw the event. Dr. Davis has led this program alongside student leadership from the very beginning, helping to inspire the next generation of health care professionals.
As the day concluded, Mini-Medical School once again highlighted the connection between COMP-Northwest and the surrounding community. This annual event has introduced local kindergarten students to basic health concepts in an engaging way while also offering medical students a meaningful opportunity to step outside the classroom and reflect on their future roles as physicians. With its continued focus on hands-on learning and community partnership, the program remains a defining tradition, one that fosters early curiosity while reinforcing the true purpose behind medical education.
