GEMINI: a brighter path for managing chronic pain

Suitable for 14-19-year olds (secondary and high schools, and college), this article and accompanying activity sheet can be used in the classroom, STEM clubs and at home.

This resource links to KS4 and KS5/Grade 9-10 and Grade 11-12 biology and psychology.

It can also be used as a careers resource and links to Gatsby Benchmarks (UK):
Gatsby Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers

• This teaching resource explains the work of Niina Haas, president of BrightOutcome Inc., and Dr Paula Gardiner, a medical researcher at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at Cambridge Health Alliance. They are investigating how Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and group sessions can help to treat chronic pain.

• This resource also contains interviews with Niina and Paula and offers an insight into careers in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. If your students have questions for Niina and Paula, they can send them through the Futurum Careers website.

• The activity sheet provides ‘talking points’ (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) to prompt students to reflect on Niina and Paula’s research and challenges them to investigate the origins of mindfulness practices.

• Visit the Futurum Careers website to watch Niina’s videocast. In the videocast, Niina discusses how her interest in other people has shaped her career and led her to become the President of healthcare technology company BrightOutcome Inc. She also shares her advice for students hoping to pursue a career in STEM. It is accompanied by a transcript and a Ppt. that includes questions to prompt students to reflect on what they’ve heard.

These resources were first published on Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE).

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