In the mid 1990s, Bonnie Simpson Mason, M.D. ('96) led some of the first fitness classes held at the original Morehouse School of Medicine Fitness Center. Mason's involvement was rooted in her genuine concern for the health of MSM's faculty and staff. Nearly a decade later, Mason has shifted her concern to MSM students with her annual Sawbone Bio Skills Workshop. Mason, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon based in Washington, D.C., launched the workshop at MSM four years ago to educate first-year medical students about the orthopedic specialty, which is not currently offered at MSM.

"Sawbone Bio Skills is designed to show students the clinical relevancy of gross anatomy to orthopedic surgery," says Mason. "It is a joy to see the light bulbs going off when students are able to apply what they've been learning in a hands-on, clinical correlation workshop."

During the day-long workshop in December, Mason and six Atlanta-area orthopedic surgeons guided the first-year class in using orthopedic instruments and hardware. Zimmer, the world's largest manufacturer of orthopedic supplies, provides the equipment while the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery donates the multi-skeleton textbooks.

"It's encouraging to be introduced to a field I would have not normally learned about at this stage in my studies," says Edna Termilus, a first-year student. "In addition, Mason's program makes the school's emphasis on service more authentic because I have witnessed first-hand a former student giving back." While Mason is creating a similar program at Howard University, her intent is to gain more corporate support for the workshop at MSM and inspire MSM alumni in all specialties to implement their own clinical correlation workshops.

"It's easier than one might think to get started," says Mason. "The MSM faculty is very receptive and there are numerous companies looking for worthwhile programs to support. I have been inspired by my former professors and my time at MSM. This workshop is the least I can do to show my gratitude and to be an inspiration to others."