John Luckoski, a second year medical student at The University of Toledo, won an academic contest sponsored by Khan Academy. The contest is part of an initiative to provide free, online resources to help students prepare for the revised Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) that will be administered in 2015.

To develop new the new educational content, Khan Academy, in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, designed a competition to encourage medical students and residents to create tutorials about concepts that will be featured on the updated MCAT.

Luckoski, a tutor for UT’s Academic Enrichment Center (AEC), learned about the contest in the midst of working on an initiative to create a library of video tutorial clips for first year medical students.

“This year, I had begun making short videos covering our medical school lectures. When I got an email about the contest, it seemed right in line with what I had already been doing,” Luckoski said.q

As a winner, Luckoski will travel to California from July 13-20 to receive training from Khan Academy scholars. Along with other trainees, he will assist in producing the new collection of tutorials on pre-health competencies.

“Khan Academy is really on the forefront of revolutionizing education. I’m looking forward to meeting the other contest winners and collaborating with them, as well as the academy,” said Luckoski.

During his summer preceptorship with the AEC, he will continue to add to the library of videos including topics such as Cellular and Molecular Biology and Neuroscience.

“This summer, I am creating a more comprehensive library of YouTube videos,” Luckoski said. “The AEC has been great in providing all the technologies I’ve needed a new laptop, microphone and drawing tablet.”

He is interested in eventually becoming a trauma surgeon, but has other aspirations as well.

“Being a tutor has convinced me that I want to devote as much time as I can to being an educator as well as being a physician. There’s a limited number of lives I could save in my own lifespan, but if I get to teach students how to take care of people, I feel like that perpetuates my ability to help others far beyond what I could do with my own two hands,” said Luckoski.

In addition to his work with the AEC, Luckoski is president of Ethics Club, an active American Medical Association member, a volunteer for UT’s Community Care Clinic and a member of Docapella, a men’s a capella group on UT’s Health Science Campus. He is also involved with creating a new student organization looking to better involve pre-clinical medical students with UT’s Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center.

Media Coverage
The Blade (July 12, 2014)