Dr. Robin's Inner Circle

Members Only Newsletter

A Note from Dr. Robin

Hi Reader,

I have many happy memories from medical training of sneaking down to the pathology lab in the hospital basement. The pathologists were always so welcoming—happy to share tea, cookies, and a little quiet space while showing me what they were learning from a patient’s tissues. It was a calm and fascinating break from the bustle of the rest of the hospital. This week the career focus will be pathology!

I’m so glad you’re here with me now, building your own memories of science and discovery.

Together with you on this journey,
Dr. Robin

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Roots & Suffixes: -itis Even doctors come across words they’ve never seen before. Learning roots and suffixes helps you guess smart—so unfamiliar words start to make more sense!

The suffix -itis means inflammation. You’ve probably heard it in words like appendicitis (inflamed appendix), tonsillitis (inflamed tonsils), arthritis (inflamed joints), or sinusitis (inflamed sinuses). Whenever you see “-itis,” you know something in the body is swollen, sore, or irritated.

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What I'm Reading

This week’s pick is Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow. It’s the true story of how doctors and scientists uncovered the mystery of a disease carrier who spread typhoid fever. It's easy to get swept into the story, characters, and events of the book.

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If your student enjoys page-turners and is interested in medical problems, infectious diseases, or history, this is an excellent read to add to your shelf. ​ Get It On Amazon This is an affiliate link. You don't pay extra but you help support the school anytime you click one of our links before shopping!

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This book pairs especially well with our Immune System module, since it shows how germs spread through a community and why the body’s defenses and public health measures are so important.

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New Blog Series: Creating a Home Lab!

This week we're kicking off a new blog series on creating a home science lab. If you have a family that loves science, you aren't going to want to miss this one! Each week Dr. Robin will be writing about exactly what you need, what's nice to have, and what to skip!

Read Now!

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Career Corner: Pathology!

Did you know you can send in a photo of your completed coloring and answer to the career question for a chance to be featured in our newsletter?

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Pathologists are often called the doctor's doctor because they work directly with other physicians rather than with patients. We have both a coloring page and a career overview page. Want to learn more about what a pathologist does? Here's the journey of a specimen!​ ​ Download the Career Page

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Today's Career Question: If you were a pathologist, would you rather be a chemical pathologist (testing fluids and toxins) or an anatomic pathologist (examining tissues, organs, and whole bodies for disease)? Why? ​ Download the Coloring Page

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Ask Dr. Robin!

Do you have a question about a lesson you're doing? You can write in and ask Dr. Robin!

Question from Yui (age 10, Sao Pailo, Brazil):

What is herd immunity? It makes us sound like a herd of cows! But it doesn't make sense to me.

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Answer from Dr. Robin:

It does sound funny! And the name probably did come from farmers with their cows. Because they figured out that if a certain percentage of their cows were immunized against a particular infection, the rest would be protected too!

It works the same way in humans. If a certain percentage of people are immune to an infection then it can't spread in a population. This is important because we all have people we love who are more likely to get very sick, like babies, grandparents, people who are on medications for things like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or cancer, and people who have medical conditions like diabetes or asthma.

When the "herd" of people is immune, it protects everyone!

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Here are two of the videos from the Curated Video Library. You can find lots more great science videos in the parent dashboard!

A visual demonstration of what it takes to have herd immunity ​

Slo Mo Guys demonstrate with mousetraps! ​ ​

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That's all for this week! Happy Learning!

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Questions? Get one-on-one assistance from Nurse Jill Cooper. Reply to this email, schedule office hours with Jill, or text or call 720-257-9030. Business hours are 9-5 M-F MST, closed for school holidays.