CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA — Winthrop University and Atrium Health — including its innovation district, The Pearl, and its Levine Children’s Hospital — are collaborating to expand educational opportunities for long-term pediatric patients while preparing future educators to teach in diverse, nontraditional settings.
Hands‑on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lessons for hospitalized K–12 students will be taught by Winthrop Teaching Fellows and Levine Children’s Hospital educators — supported by curriculum, professional development and materials from The Pearl’s K–12 STEM Lab program.
“Too often, these learners are overlooked, not intentionally, but because their needs
fall outside the typical structures of K–12 education,” said Dr. April Mustian, special
education director who is leading the initiative at Winthrop. “Future teachers must
understand the experiences of children with chronic illnesses, and this collaboration
allows our students to learn with empathy, skill and purpose.”
Hands-on Learning for Both Children and Future Teachers
Through this initiative, Winthrop students will:
*Provide individualized and small-group enrichment aligned with each child’s readiness,
energy and interests.
*Adapt STEM activities using innovative instructional methods to meet the needs of
patients with diverse medical and developmental profiles.
*Collaborate with hospital and innovation district educators to ensure continuity
and engagement.
*Participate in professional development training on hospital protocols and effective
strategies for supporting learners experiencing medical trauma, chronic illness or
extended hospitalization through engagement with STEM.
“Winthrop is recognized as a leader in educator preparation, and this partnership reflects the innovative and caring environment we cultivate for our future teachers,” said Edward Serna, president of Winthrop University. “This collaboration highlights our commitment to preparing educators who make meaningful, lasting impacts on all students, especially those who need thoughtful, responsive teaching the most.”
Winthrop and K-12 students alike will benefit from STEM efforts at The Pearl. Director of Districts Education & Innovation Partnerships, Dr. Richard Cox, Jr., said planned experiences for pediatric patients include robotics, material science, biomedical engineering concepts, neuroscience, artificial intelligence and resilience-building activities that center around hope, curiosity and healing.
“There is no program quite like this,” Cox noted. “The Pearl exists to make these collaborations possible, connecting educator preparation and STEM innovation in ways that challenge and inspire. Through our partnership, we’re bringing forward-thinking, hands-on learning directly to children who deserve every opportunity to stay curious.”
Rooted in Innovation
The initiative builds on Levine Children’s Hospital’s existing school program, which currently reaches a portion of the nearly 200 children hospitalized each day. Many rely solely on school-provided assignments without the instructional support needed to stay on track, especially those with chronic or complex conditions. This collaboration aims to close that gap.
“By focusing on each patient’s academic needs, we strengthen the sense of normalcy, hope and continuity that learning provides during hospitalization,” said Joni Hildreth, educational coordinator at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. “This partnership expands that mission — bringing fresh energy, innovative teaching support and compassionate educators into the lives of our patients and families at Levine Children’s.”
Designed with scalability in mind, this newly developed initiative extends its impact across more children, classrooms and hospital units. It establishes a framework for how universities, hospitals and innovation districts can work together to better support medically vulnerable students within the Carolinas and beyond.
About Winthrop University
Founded in 1886, Winthrop is a comprehensive public university that challenges undergraduate and graduate students of talent, ambition, and intellectual curiosity, equipping them to embrace and lead a world in transition. Providing residential and online learning, the university grants 70 undergraduate and graduate degrees across arts & sciences; business & technology; education, sport & human sciences; visual & performing arts, and the newly added Honors College. Winthrop is a transformational institution serving approximately 5,000 students in the heart of the Carolinas. To learn more, go to www.winthrop.edu or follow Winthrop on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through
innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte,
North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit
health system in the United States. A recognized leader in experiential medical education
and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the health
system’s academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer
and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal
programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile
medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. It is ranked nationally among
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals in nine pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation.
With a commitment to redefine care for every community it serves, Atrium Health provides
nearly $3 billion in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.
About The Pearl
The Pearl is Charlotte’s first innovation district: a vibrant, one-of-its-kind ecosystem that sits at the crossroads of world- leading research, academic excellence, corporate innovation, clinical translation, entrepreneurial activity and community engagement. Developed through a visionary public-private partnership led by Atrium Health and Wexford Science & Technology, The Pearl is a bold reimagining of how health, science and community can intersect to redefine care
Anchored by the Charlotte campus of Wake Forest University School of Medicine – the city’s first four-year medical school – and IRCAD North America, a global leader in surgical training, The Pearl is positioned as a global destination for medical advancement. Over the next 15 years, The Pearl is projected to generate more than 5,500 on-site jobs and over 11,500 jobs regionally, serving as a catalyst for opportunity and inclusive growth. Its impact extends beyond medicine, with deep community engagement including a K-12 STEM partnership with several county system schools to inspire middle and high school students toward health care careers.
The innovation district represents a bold new chapter for Charlotte – where education
meets entrepreneurship, and where partnerships fuel progress. To learn more about
The Pearl, please visit: thepearlclt.com.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, Winthrop news and media services manager,
at longshawj@winthrop.edu or Rachel Gogal at Rachel.Gogal@advocatehealth.org or Kasey Campbell at Kasey.Campbell@advocatehealth.org.
