From study abroad programs to vacations to summer classes — Pitt students made sure to stay busy this summer.
Many students, like junior public health major Dhru Ponnamaneni, traveled across the world this summer. Ponnamaneni went to Honduras on his second brigade, a student-led volunteer trip organized by the nonprofit Global Medical Brigades, from May 5 to May 11.
“As philanthropy chair [of Pitt’s Global Medical Brigade club], I coordinate partnerships between our chapter and outside organizations,” Ponnamaneni said. “This year, I helped establish a partnership with The Knowledge Unlocked to Everyone, a youth-led nonprofit that helped us provide educational kits and hygiene packs to the community we served.”
Aleah Woelfel, a sophomore neuroscience major, also took part in the brigade and helped set up a medical clinic in Honduras that serves a variety of ages with specialties including optometry, OB-GYN, dentistry and more.
“We got to work hands-on with Honduran doctors in order to directly care for the patients we saw,” Woelfel said.
Not only did Woelfel learn how to work with a variety of patients, she said she also came out of the experience with great memories and new skills.
“Going to Honduras was a huge step out of my comfort zone,” Woelfel said. “Because I took this leap of faith, I was able to take away so many lessons about gratitude, the power of interpersonal connection and embracing circumstances that will help me throughout any step of my life.”
After the brigade, Ponnamaneni spent the rest of his summer doing independent research through the Frederick Honors College Brackenridge Research Fellowship. Ponnamaneni said his research was a part of the Arthritis and Arthroplasty Design Lab under Dr. Ken Urish, within the Bethel Musculoskeletal Research Center.
“My project, Bacteriophage Discovery from Pittsburgh Wastewater for Orthopedic-Relevant Infections, focused on discovering bacteriophages from Pittsburgh wastewater that could potentially target bacteria involved in difficult-to-treat orthopedic infections,” Ponnamaneni said.
Woelfel spent the rest of her summer working at a retina specialist’s office as an ophthalmologist technician, where she conducted vision tests, prepped patients for retinal injections and took retinal pictures.
“This taught me how to work in a super high-paced environment with high stakes and expectations,” Woelfel said. “I learned a lot about staff [and] patient dynamics in an outpatient clinic, as well as the complexities of insurance policies.”
Sarah Varghese, a junior public health major, studied abroad in Spain and Morocco as part of Pitt’s Global Health in Spain program.
“That [program] was amazing,” Varghese said. “I met such a great group of girls, and we got to see different healthcare systems in Spain, and it was very eye-opening to see the comparisons.”
Julia Mann, a senior athletic training major, also attended the Global Health in Spain program and described it as an enlightening experience.
“We were able to meet with some of the Spanish medical students and talk to them about their experiences,” Mann said. “[It was] really informative because I learned a lot about how they do stuff over there, and it seems like a lot of them had a preconceived notion about how we did things.”
Mann spent the rest of her summer doing odd jobs, but said she is ultimately ready to return to her academic routine on campus.
“I walked dogs and got to know this great older couple who needed help around the house due to mobility issues, which was nice,” Mann said. “I’m definitely ready to be back on campus. I thrive off of routine and being busy, so I was ready to jump back into my responsibilities and push myself again.”
Sam Smith, a sophomore marketing major, stayed in Oakland over the summer to work as a Pitt Pathfinder.
“I also started a new marketing job, so I’ve been here, and that’s been really fun,” Smith said. “It was interesting being here over the summer when no one was here, and now that everyone’s back, it’s like old times again.”