UTHSC News: Tennessee’s First Brain Bee Comes to Memphis, Nurturing a New Generation of Neurologists

Last Saturday morning, 25 Shelby County high school students came to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center campus in Memphis to compete in the state's first-ever Brain Bee. Not all arrived believing a career in medicine was possible. By day's end, they could picture themselves as the person in the room who had the answers.

"Most places see the Brain Bee as a siloed, isolated event, something like a spelling bee," said Balaji Krishnaiah, MD, associate professor of neurology and medical education as well as vice chair and program director of the Neurology Residency at UT Health Sciences. "You appreciate the kids, then they leave and you have no contact with them. I see this as a tool to nurture people with long-term mentorship, so we can help them become doctors, become neurologists, and keep them in Memphis or even Tennessee."

The Memphis Brain Bee is the local chapter of an international neuroscience competition program and the newest entry point in a career pipeline Dr. Krishnaiah and his team have spent years building, one designed to carry Memphis students from high school curiosity all the way to medical practice in the community that shaped them.

Read more on the UT Health Sciences News website.