I built my undergraduate career around my varied interests in clinical practice, public health, and international affairs. I developed my passion for healthcare by pursuing a major in Rehabilitation Science on a pre-Physician Assistant track. The Global Studies certificate has taught me how I can I apply my patient-care skills on a much larger scale. In addition, I have become cognizant of how global issues influence patient health and well-being and have used this awareness to take a holistic approach towards clinical practice. Studying Spanish, has opened up opportunities for travel and will allow me to provide effective treatment to the growing Spanish-speaking population in my future career. Although my primary interest is in healthcare, the opportunity to pursue a Spanish minor and Global Studies certificate enhances my ability to provide treatment from a multi-disciplinary perspective and will set me apart as a physician-assistant in the future.
Emma Wylie
University of Pittsburgh
Global Studies Coursework
Coursework Descriptions
- PS 0550: Introduction to Global Studies
- ANTH 0780: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- ANTH 1737: Culture and Politics in Mental Health
- PUBHLT 1003: Introduction to Public and Global Health
- PUBHLT 1004: Public Health Explorations
- PUBHLT 1005: Public Health Research and Practice
- BCHS 2509: Social and Behavioral Science and Public Health
- HRS 1017: Introduction to Epidemiology
This course introduced me to a variety of global issues that I was previously unaware of. Through discussion and real-world examples, I learned about diverse topics that I would not have pursued on my own such as global economics, politics, and history of globalization. I realized that in present day, all of our actions have global implications and that making effective change requires a new holistic perspective. By collaborating with one another we learned about a spectrum of world views and how to examine and challenge them to create effective solutions to today’s issues.
In this course we examined different cultures around the world and learned about how patterns of living influence our behaviors. It was interesting to compare and contrast American customs with those of other societies. I learned that there isn’t one correct way to be human and interact with others. It is important to study other cultures if we are to understand and learn from them. This course allowed me to explore anthropology and as I continued with my undergraduate career, discover the strong connection between culture and healthcare.
In this course I continued to pursue my interest in the connection between culture and healthcare in a small, seminar setting. Before this class, I had never explored mental health but through readings and discussion, I learned the importance of taking a holistic approach to mental illness because so much is still unknown about, emotions, the mind, and mental illness. We examined how culture can influence emotions and treatments of mental illness. It was interesting to study how the values of different cultures can shape the definition of mental well-being. I discovered that a lot about our feelings and identity is determined by our culture and how I can use this knowledge and awareness in my future clinical practice.
The Effects of Neoliberal Capitalism on Culture and the Self
In a small group setting, I learned about the fundamentals of public health including aspects of infectious disease, epidemiology, genetics, policy, the environment, statistics, and community interventions. Focusing on these topics gave me a more comprehensive perspective on what health means, especially on a large scale. It is important to note that traditional healthcare alone is not the solution to prevalent health problems in our society. I discovered that while clinical interventions treat individual illness, public health measures go to the route of the problem on a societal level and work to prevent future disease.
In this course, we went on weekly field trips to public health facilities in Pittsburgh, discussed different topics with public health professionals, and learned about different careers in public health. I discovered how broad the field of public health can be, ranging from infectious disease research to analyzing big data. In healthcare, it is important to be aware of how all of these aspects come together to influence clinical practice and the health of communities.
During the Summer Edge program, each student was paired with a faculty mentor based on their interests within the field of public health. I was paired with Dr. Martha Terry, Associate Professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences and together we explored hands-on internship and volunteer opportunities in the neighborhood of Friendship. Dr. Terry is an active member of the Friendship neighborhood and has been integral in its revitalization in recent years. She has aimed to promote social inclusion in her intervention, lifting up and involving all community members and discouraging the gentrification that is effecting many areas of Pittsburgh. For this course I volunteered to revitalize an abandoned and decrepit community space into an area to hold social programs. During my time there the space, called Latham St. Commons, was used to promote self-discovery in disadvantaged high school students from the surrounding area. I was involved in the planning and implementation of different creative projects that taught the students about opportunities for change in their community. It was inspiring to play a role in their growth and learn from the coordinators about organizing programs that uplift community members.
I took on an additional internship experience with Dr. Elizabeth Van Nostrand, Director of MPH and JD?MPH programs and Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management. Through this mentor ship, was surprised to discover that public health law had so many ties to clinical practice. I learned about several bioinformatics tools and helped with their presentation and development. These tools included the Emergency Law Inventory (ELI) and a modeling system for epidemics of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella in American (FRED). I had the opportunity to present these tools and learn about other real-word opportunities in public health by attending the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) conference.
Mid-Atlantic Regional Public Health Training Center Tools Poster Draft
In this course, I learned how to research, implement, and evaluate behavioral interventions in the community. It was interesting to learn about the entire process as I participated in one such intervention through PUBHLT: Research and Practice. We learned different methods of examining values of various populations and to apply them to multi-faceted interventions. Additionally, we learned how to conduct interviews and focus groups which are essential in qualitative research.
In this course I learned about the spread of disease and the social, political, and clinical impact of infectious diseases. The spread of disease can occur on multiple levels. From the confines of a hospital to expansion across international borders, it is important to understand the detection, risks, and interventions surrounding infectious disease and disease epidemics. In clinical practice, epidemiology must be applied to individual treatment to protect the population.
Other Relevant Courses
As part of this specialized lab, I had the opportunity to take part in real-world research of antibiotics and create and present a research poster. Infectious agents are becoming increasingly resistant to the antibiotics we typically use to treat them. Therefore antibiotic research is essential on a national and global scale. As part of this course, we examined microbes found in soil samples and characterized their antibiotics properties. We then, entered our findings into a national database that gathered information from similar classes cross the country with the goal of discovering new antibiotics. I enjoyed learning lab skills in a way that contributed to real-world research and worked to combat the problem of antibiotic resistance.