A Scenario-Based Learning Strategy to Teach the Story of Henrietta Lacks and the Social Determinants of Health
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Incorporating the story of Henrietta Lacks into undergraduate biology curriculum prompts student learners to examine her legacy’s role and “HeLa” cells in scientific and medical advancements. Stories of Lacks’s patient experience reveal the longstanding pervasiveness of discrimination and persistent disparities in health care. Despite the passing of over seventy years from the acquisition of the HeLa cells, it is still necessary to pursue discourse with students focused on real-world situations involving individuals’ access to ethical and just health care. This article describes a dynamic lesson that introduces the story of Henrietta Lacks and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) in three activities that use scenario-based pedagogy (SBP). SBP is a collaborative learning strategy that is both effective and inclusive. Educators who develop scenarios for the classroom inevitably create shared learning spaces full of interactive student participation. In this lesson, students are introduced to major SDOH topics and the story of Henrietta Lacks through micro-lectures, guided worksheets, and the viewing of the movie entitled ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.’ Afterwards, interactive student groups delve deeper into the connection of the historical components of the story of Henrietta Lacks to current disparities in health care through an instructor-driven podcast scenario. The lesson ends with an activity that encourages students to present a student-driven scenario linking Lacks’s story and one SDOH factor. Taken together, these activities will foster a more engaging, autonomous learning environment, and motivate students to take an active approach to learning how our history has impacted the current state of medical care and biology. Primary Image: The story of Henrietta Lacks painting. Submission of the creative implementation of a student-driven scenario-based learning strategy. This original artwork represents the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells, and how they are integrated into the social constructs of Social Determinants of Health. Permission for this artwork was granted by the painter, Sam Williamson.
Source: CourseSource
DOI: 10.24918/cs.2025.18
Institution: University of South Carolina Beaufort
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4412532790