ORS Open Door

ORS Open Door 2023 took place on Friday, February 10th from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM CST at the UT Southwestern Medical campus.

ORS Open Door is an outreach activity aimed at communicating key aspects of orthopaedic/musculoskeletal science to the general public. [Note: in addition to our 2023 event, you can read about past Open Door activities held in 2020 HERE.]

Open Door 2023’s target audience was middle school- and high school-aged students from the local Dallas area. A particular focus of this year’s event was outreach to under-represented minorities and first-generation students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, as the demographics of the participating school districts were >60% Hispanic/Latinx and >15% African American student populations.

The overarching goal of ORS Open Door 2023 was to get students excited about the possibility of future careers in the musculoskeletal sciences, introducing them to a wide variety of professional pathways and work performed by our ORS members. This year’s audience consisted of high school students who are considering college and future career plans, and middle school students who are choosing their educational trajectory (something that takes place in the Texas school system in middle school).

The program engaged participants in presentations and activities designed to teach about potential careers and topics related to musculoskeletal sciences. Events of the day featured four ORS speakers presenting short talks, a discussion panel of ORS members from under-represented minority backgrounds and first generation students, and three hands-on workshops/demos. The ORS partnered with STARS (Science Teacher Access to Resources at Southwestern) who provided space, A/V support, refreshments for the students (lunch), and registration.