During my undergraduate career, I’ve participated in a diverse array of extra-curricular experiences that have truly allowed me to see the translational impact of social determinants of health and the importance of engaging in opportunities that help me hone my skills as a prospective global and public health professional.

This past fall (2020), I participated in the first Global Health Case Competition hosted by The University of Pittsburgh. Our teams were charged with analyzing the post-Ebola phase of Liberia, then develop a strategic plan to strengthen their health infrastructure to improve the country’s overall population health. Over the course of the fall term, my team and I carefully analyzed the historical, cultural, and political context of Liberia, along with careful research into the World Health Organization’s Health System Strengthening model and looked at examples of its translational effects in other developing countries. At the end of the term, we presented a model that focused on strengthening the health system by emphasizing primary health care delivery systems, re-establishing a health workforce, enhancing dissemination of critical health information, and increasing access to mental health services. My experience in this competition has made me acutely aware that global health initiatives require sustainable solutions that place cultural sensitivity, community engagement, and community self-sufficiency as its top priorities, as these will maximize the longevity of the systems that are meant to address key population health issues.

On campus, I’ve also been very involved in Theta Phi Alpha Fraternity from 2016-2020. My engagement in this organization not only involved my participation in multiple noble fundraising efforts (Camp Friendship and Children’s Miracle Network), but it has also enhanced my understanding of the direct and personal impacts of social determinants of health, particularly in relation to education. From Fall 2018 to Fall 2019, I served on the organization’s Executive Board as Vice President of Academic Excellence. Aside from organizing educational, networking, and professional events to create opportunities for members to develop skills necessary for academic or professional success, I would work personally with members towards mitigating any self-identified academic challenges they may be facing. To help provide the best accommodations or guidance necessary to ensure the members felt like they were reaching their full potential, I had to be sensitive to and cognizant of their personal circumstances that defined their ability to have academic success. This experience was a direct extension of the larger trends that are present in global and national contexts, which I learned through my sociology and global health certificate coursework, because I witnessed first-hand the influence education can have on individual well-being. In the end, I would like to think I had positive impact, because under my leadership, our organization’s QPA standing rose from 11th place to 7th place within the University’s Tri-Council, which is comprised of over 35 organizations. Aside from this, the position taught me how to be a successful leader during standard organizational proceedings, as well as times of extraordinary circumstances, which is an invaluable skill for anyone aspiring to be a global or public health professional. 

Among all my experiences in my undergraduate career, I believe I’ve learned and expressed my devotion to global health and public health best with the direct community engagement work I have participated in. 

My favorite and most transformative experience was with the community organization Connections4Health, as a community health fellow at both the Birmingham Free Clinic and the Carnegie Library in downtown Pittsburgh. The organization aims to be the bridge that helps individuals from lower socio-economic statuses and underserved populations secure their socio-structural needs, which are direct factors of their health outcomes. As a fellow, I worked personally with individuals to find out what basic needs–such as food, housing, health care, employment, etc.– they may want assistance in securing. Upon an initial assessment and encounter with client, fellows were tasked with creating a collaborative and realistic action plan to ensure the client met their needs to their own self-identified degree of satisfaction. Besides allowing me to gain experience that elucidated the importance of addressing social determinants of health, this position also instilled in me the tenets of people-centered and people-directed public health work which underscores the significance of having the individuals that are directly experiencing precarious situation become the primarily directors when creating solutions for their self-identified needs. 

Another direct community experience I participated in was with Keep It Real, a volunteer tutoring organization on campus which paired undergraduate students with resettled refugee families in the Somali-Bantu community in the greater Pittsburgh region. During my tutoring sessions, I would work with the children of various schooling age ranging from K-12 to help them complete school-related or educational activities.  This experience is very special to me, as it introduced me to a very vibrant ethnic population with a rich culture that I was warmly embraced into during the in-home tutoring sessions. As a Turkish immigrant, I found myself relating very closely to the families, so this opportunity became a positive educational experience for both myself and the children. In addition to helping me relate well to the families I tutored, my Turkish nationality was also a big factor in my decision to join the Middle Eastern North African Student Association (MENASA) on campus. Although I didn’t create the organization, I was among the first members to join that allowed it to become officially recognized on campus. I am incredibly dedicated to this organization, as first a devoted member, then Secretary, and finally as Co-President–a position I currently hold. During my time on the Executive Board the past three years, the club has grown tremendously, and I really consider this one of my greatest accomplishments within the University of Pittsburgh. The emergence of this organization created a space in which Middle Eastern, North African, and Arab students can come together to have a safe, supportive, and tight-knit community. I personally have made some of my closest and life-long friends because of this organization. These experiences have allowed me to develop a deeper appreciation for cultural sensitivity and the importance of having safe spaces for particular ethnic or cultural groups to cultivate strong community bonds, as well-developed social connections are a crucial aspect for personal and population well-being.

My final community experience is a global one, which occured in June 2018 in Izmir, Turkey. During that time I volunteered and shadowed as a medical intern in the Dokuz Eylül University Medical Hospital & School. Aside from assisting in gastroenterological procedures, I was extensively educated on the healthcare system in Turkey, and had plenty of opportunities to reflect on the differences between it and the U.S. health systems. In short, it was an amazing opportunity that allowed me to develop tools and methods of inquiry to conduct thorough cross-cultural examination of various structures that impact population and global health.