A-STAR Lab Volunteers at Mayo Clinic Surgery Family Day

Dr. Simon J. Laplante and Dr. Abdulrahman Alomar of the A-STAR Lab volunteered at Mayo Clinic's Surgery Family Day, an event that welcomes staff and their families into the simulation center to learn more about the surgical discipline and the people behind it.

The two led a hands-on laparoscopic skills station, where families and members of the wider healthcare team could pick up the instruments, work through basic tasks on the trainers, and get a feel for the precision and coordination surgery demands.

For many visitors it was a first look at what happens behind the OR doors, and the station drew a steady stream of curious participants throughout the day.

Events like this are a small but meaningful way of connecting the lab's work back to the community it serves.