Education
- Juniata College, BS in Biology
Experience and Interests
After obtaining her undergraduate degree at Juniata College in central Pennsylvania, Katie West has returned to her hometown of Westerville, Ohio to become the new Education Program Lead Coordinator of the Surgical Skills Lab at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Throughout her undergraduate education she wanted to study anatomy in a greater depth than her school provided, so working in collaboration with her anatomy professor she created her own opportunity to study anatomy at a higher level than the class provided. In addition, she helped redesign the Juniata Anatomy course and lab curriculum to better educate the students and help them obtain a more extensive understanding of what they are looking at during dissections and how anatomical systems work together. This experience, along with being the TA for anatomy labs, led Katie to look for unique opportunities that relate to her extensive knowledge in anatomy. Upon finding the Surgical Skills Lab position before her official graduation from Juniata College, she was initially advised to re-apply to the position after her graduation date, but she persevered. Behind the scenes, she worked with her advisor and was able to use the position as an internship, working at the lab full-time while she finished up her last semester of undergraduate degree program. She is incredibly excited about the opportunities she will have in the Surgical Skills Lab and cannot wait to see what the future brings.