Pig lungs, anatomy simulation, oranges, and x-rays, it’s all part of the scene!

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On April 29 and 30, 2026, The Healthcare Career Collaborative of Central Ohio (HCCOCO) will host over 2000+ High School students from 60 High Schools across Central Ohio at the Ohio Expo Center, presenting hands-on activities to drive awareness of six priority healthcare occupations, including respiratory therapist, radiological technologist, surgical technologist, medical assistant, medical lab technician and registered nurse.

This is the third year for the popular employer-led event designed to intentionally grow the healthcare talent pipeline at scale in Central Ohio. Presented in partnership with Aspyr and the Education Service Center of Central Ohio this two-day, immersive event connects emerging talent to healthcare practitioners and regional healthcare educators through memorable experiences about career pathways and daily professional life.

Over 100 healthcare professionals lead HCCOCO, representing The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System, OhioHealth, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Healthcare professionals have designed robust hands-on activity stations featuring compelling immersion into real life health care activities. Secondary and post-secondary institutions offering education and training programs in healthcare professions provide guidance towards next steps.

“Our region’s health systems are growing to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding population, and that growth depends on a strong workforce pipeline,” said Lorina Wise, Chief Human Resources Officer for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Events like the Central Ohio Healthcare Summit allow us to engage students early, introduce them to meaningful career pathways, and begin building the pipeline that will support our collective growth and ensure high quality care for children and families for generations to come.”

“We’re excited to team up and offer this interactive opportunity for students. Health care is a growing career field, and in addition to needing more doctors and nurses there is significant need for more technologists, therapists and other positions. There is no better way to help teens see themselves in these roles than to give them hands-on experiences and show them the paths to getting these types of jobs.” said Sarah Sherer, Senior Associate VP and Chief Human Resources officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

https://www.healthcarecareersohio.org/summit

Aspyr is a workforce innovation organization that connects business to talent and people to jobs. Through a collaborative network of training providers and employers Aspyr helps job seekers access education and support to build meaningful careers and employers to access talent build reliable talent pipelines. www.aspyrworkforce.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2000-high-school-youth-descend-on-ohio-expo-center-to-experience-healthcare-career-interactive-activities-302755758.html