Hari Vigneswaran – 2019 Recipient – Resident/Fellow
Tell me about yourself and your current experience at the UIC College of Medicine.
I have spent four years (of six total) in a surgical specialty training program, and I have learned a great deal. Specifically, at UIC, I have had the privilege of working with and treating a diverse demographic of patients. Ingrained in UIC philosophy is public health and health disparity improvement and these institutional trademarks have certainly impacted my own research experiences while at UIC.
How did you decide to go into the field of Medicine?
Medicine is a great field and has many facets that challenge and enrich our experience. In college, I was involved with a project to design and manufacture affordable prosthetic arms for patients in Guatemala. This experience taught me about patient care and galvanized my interest in medicine.
What inspired you to help others Globally?
My main goal when traveling to Hospital Central de Maputo (HCM) was to learn about the differences in economic, environmental, and social determinants of health. Mozambique neighbors Lake Malawi a breeding ground for the flatworms called schistosomes. We know Schistosomiasis contributes to the high incidence of squamous cell bladder cancer in Mozambique, a usually rare cancer in North American or Europe. Furthermore, we have observed that prostate cancer mortality in the African continent outpaces others. I chose to learn about these two processes in the largest public hospital in Maputo, the Mozambican capital.
Why did you select this destination?
Every year the American Urological Association hosts an academic conference with travelers from around the world and I was connected with a urologist at HCM. As the largest teaching hospital in a country of 28 million, at HCM, I was eager to learn more about healthcare in Mozambique.
How did this experience from the Erickson Explorers Award impact your life/influence you?
As a resident, this was my first experience in a hospital outside the US and I thank my hosts at HCM. As an outsider, it is difficult to fully understand a community and culture, yet I was grateful for the seamless incorporation into the urology program as a trainee. My initial experience was surprise as I found most aspects of patient care to be the same, however I observed differences. Due to resource differences, protocols on infection prevention, diagnostic workups, and hospital infrastructure varied. It was difficult to compare healthcare systems in the US to a country that negotiated colonial independence in 1975 and ended a civil war in 1992. Yet, despite these challenges, the HCM adapted and made difficult decisions every day. I both learned how a hospital can successfully function in a setting of limited resources, but also how long-term collaboration is essential for effective collaboration.
Natasha Mehta – 2019 Recipient – Student
Tell me about yourself and your current experience at the UIC College of Medicine
I am a fourth-year student going into Internal Medicine. I was the president of the Chicago Medical Student Council for the previous academic year and still serve on our Student Curricular Board and Class Board. I am involved in research within the College of Nursing, Internal Medicine department and Department of Medical Education. I love the College of Medicine and all of the people that make up our team here. Most importantly, I love my fellow students who have become my family and especially my GMED family.
How did you decide to go into the field of Medicine?
I knew I wanted to do something in healthcare when I started college. I did not know the field of Global Health was an option until the middle of college when I joined a student-run global health nonprofit and loved being around like-minded people. Growing up, I went to India every couple of years to see my family and that shaped my perspective on health inequities across the world. In late college, I decided I wanted a career in global health and decided to do my Masters degree in global health sciences. In grad school, I found very strong mentors in the field and they happened to all be doctors. When I would ask them “how do I become like you?” they told me the fist step was to go to medical school, and here I am!
What inspired you to help others Globally?
My family. My parents came to the US from India in the mid-80s and were lucky to have opportunities provided to them here that completely shaped my upbringing. When my sister and I went back to India throughout our childhood, Mom and Dad made it a point to show us the circumstances in which they grew up and how different they were. Every time we go back, we try to visit the joint-family apartment in which my grandfather (also a physician) died of a simple bacterial infection. It forced me to wonder why some people have access to healthcare and some don’t. My family and I volunteer at an all-women’s college for low-income students and what started as our attempt to help their community in India turned into my passion and career.
Why did you select this destination?
When I was in graduate school, my thesis was on the intersection between child-bearing and HIV infection in an urban Thai community. That project introduced me to large, diverse region of Southeast Asia. When I began medical school, I had the luck of meeting Dr. Culbert in the College of Nursing. He has been working in Indonesia for many years and had great connections there. We bonded over our interest in high-risk populations for HIV, and he was looking to start a project in Bali. It was a natural fit and we’ve been working together for the last three years.
How did this experience from the Erickson Explorers Award impact your life/influence you?
This award was critical in continuing our work in Bali. I was able to spend a very productive two weeks on-site with our partners in late February of this year. We trouble-shooted many issues with data collection and were able to refine our processes. Additionally, I was able to visit our study site and community partner to learn more about the barriers to accessing HIV testing and care throughout many aspects of our participants’ lives. We just restarted data collection when the COVID-19 pandemic caused Indonesia to shelter-in-place, but having the opportunity to touch base with the team right before has given us a lot of peace of mind knowing our team is doing well, and that we have a good plan in place for our next steps within the next year.
Picture: From left to right: Dwika, Natasha and Padma. Dwika and Padma are my partners who are running the project in Bali. They have become great friends and role models who introduced me to my favorite Balinese foods. Not pictured are our PIs: Dr. Gabriel Culbert and Ni Made Swasti Wulanyani.