Gifted Montville 14-Year-Old, The Next Doogie Howser Of Orthopedic Surgery

Francisco Vazquez is no ordinary Gen Z teen, obsessed with gaming, Snapchat, and Pokémon Go. He wants to be a doctor, and he's making big strides to achieve that goal at the tender age of 14.

The Montville High School freshman knows he wants to be a doctor, like many kids his age. Like some kids his age, he knows he'd like to get into the surgery side of medicine. And like few kids his age, he already has his heart set on a specific type of surgery: orthopedic.

As part of his plan to achieve his goals, young Vazquez recently completed the Explo Ortho summer program on the campus of Wellesley College, a prestigious school that often ranks in the top 5 on lists of national liberal arts colleges. He was part of a group of 16 chosen this past summer to participate in the program with Dr. Dinesh Patel.

The two-week intensive study, sponsored by Explo, an organization that counts more than 25 members of its 70,000 alumni in Forbes Magazine's annual "30 under 30" list, gave Vazquez the opportunity to study anatomy and physiology, two courses not customarily offered to teens before college. Vazquez had the kind of training students begin to experience a decade later at least, while in medical school.

Vazquez worked under Patel developing those skills often used by medical professionals, learned alongside experts in the fields of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitative medicine, and constructed a working model of the knee joint while simulating a surgical procedure. Francisco also got to practice the art of the patient interview, differentiating fractures from tendon or ligament and joint injuries, executing splinting and immobilization techniques, and identifying both preventative and supportive taping techniques.

“Allowing students to explore a field in depth, through real life, hands-on experiences, all while interacting with peers and industry professionals, provides them an unparalleled opportunity to dive into an area of interest," said Moira Kelly, president of Explo. "Our students move from learning to know to learning to do, and leave our program as budding professionals.”

The Explo program was the third Vazquez completed as part of his path towards becoming a young leader in the field of orthopedic surgery. He also attended the Sprout Yale program in February 2016 and the MIT Spark Program in March, before he graduated from the Robert R. Lazar Middle School in June.

Image via Susan Marinello, used with permission.