Burnett School of Medicine at TCU Partners with YMLA and YWLA to Talk about The Dangers of Smoking and Vaping
Ethan Vieira, MS-4 at Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, presented his anti-smoking and tobacco presentation to over 300 students.
FORT WORTH – Students from Young Men’s Leadership Academy (YMLA) and Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) in Fort Worth got a reality check when it comes to vaping and smoking.
“It’s horrifying to see what these chemicals and what these products and Nicotine can do to you,” Aysha Harris, a 7th grader from Young Women’s Leadership Academy said. “I thought the presentation was very well-informed and straight to the point.”
A discussion called “Fresh Air – Empowering Youth” was led by Ethan Vieira, MS-4, at Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University, as a part of the YMLA and YWLA back-to-school events. The schools invited Vieira to speak about the health risks of smoking and how to deal with peer pressure to smoke and vape at school after hearing about his presentation at summer camps this year.
Through the Burnett School of Medicine’s Service Learning & Community Engagement curriculum he was able to talk to over 300 students in Fort Worth about the dangers of smoking and vaping.
“To have someone from the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU on our campus is a great opportunity for our students,” said Rodney White, principal at Young Men’s Leadership Academy.
Vieira quickly got the students’ attention when he showed images depicting the impact of smoking and vaping on the human body. Pictures of blackened lungs, rotten teeth and toes that were black had students covering their eyes.
Some had their mouths wide open in disbelief at the damage that could be done.
“My point is to bring a medical aspect to it,” said Vieira. “There are so many other consequences of smoking, so I want to make sure that I get that across to students.”
In 2023, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The data showed that over 500,000 students were in middle school and over 1,000,000 students were in high school.
White says he’s thankful that Burnett School of Medicine is reaching out to the youth about this important issue.
“I know they’ll be able to take this information home and spread the truth about these devices,” Principal White said.
Feedback from this presentation has been good, according to Korie Hawkins, Assistant Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement at Burnett School of Medicine.
Local schools have been reaching out to see if Vieira can spread the message to their students. It’s going to be impactful going forward, Hawkins added.
“This will allow students to understand the ramifications of their decisions,” Hawkins said. “We will have multiple opportunities to go out and empower the youth by encouraging them not to vape.”