Christian Lochner, a 11th grader at Harmony School of Innovation-Katy was a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders held June 26 - June 28, 2024, just outside Boston, on the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus.

The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country interested in these careers, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.

Lochner's nomination was signed by Dr. Mario Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the Science Director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists to represent Harmony School of Innovation-Katy, based on his academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.

“Christian achieved this great feat with being homebound due to Covid and physically was cleared by his doctor's to attend school in person last year,” said T'wala Lochner in an email to the Katy Times. “His story is a story of great success and triumph despite having disabilities that lead to him working hard to attain his goals and his intense interactions with doctor's that lead him to want to study medicine.”

During the three-day Congress, Lochner joined students from across the country and heard Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science recipients discuss leading medical research; was given advice from Ivy League and top medical school deans on what to expect in medical school; witnessed stories told by patients who are living medical miracles; was inspired by fellow teen medical science prodigies; and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future in medicine and medical technology.

Lochner will be returning as an alumni next year with a role as one of the speakers.

The Academy offers free services and programs to students who want to become physicians or go into medical science. Some of the services and programs the Academy offers are online social networks through which future doctors and medical scientists can communicate; opportunities for students to be guided and mentored by physicians and medical students; and communications for parents and students on college acceptance and finances, skills acquisition, internships, career guidance and much more.

The National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists was founded on the belief that we must identify prospective medical talent at the earliest possible age and help these students acquire the necessary experience and skills to take them to the doorstep of this vital career. Based in Washington, D.C. and with offices in Boston, MA, the Academy was chartered as a nonpartisan, taxpaying institution to help address this crisis by working to identify, encourage and mentor students who wish to devote their lives to the service of humanity as physicians or medical scientists.