June.10.2023
Hello! My name is Shrutika, and I am a rising junior at Rice University from Jones. I am pursuing a B.S. in Biosciences and minors in Global Health Technologies and Medical Humanities. Along with Ojas and Annika, I will be traveling to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania this summer as part of the Rice360 internship.
This past week has been a whirlwind of insightful lectures, fun activities, and team-bonding exercises. I have enjoyed learning more about the importance of communication and ethical engagement, among various other topics as well. Without doubt, one of my favorite sessions so far has been the PhotoVoice presentation, an activity that has emphasized the wealth of stories that can be captured by single photographs. As we each presented five photos, common threads emerged: from travel-lovers to nature addicts to sports enthusiasts to engineers, we all had some connection to each other. As I prepare to travel abroad next week, I hope to continue forming these links. As an admittedly poor photographer, I probably won’t be taking too many new pictures; nonetheless, I hope that I can continue to add new stories and relationships to my own arsenal, and I am excited about the prospect of connecting with others and learning about their lived experiences.
The three of us will be working with and learning from the NEST360 team this summer. My project will take a mixed-methods approach to evaluating neonatal unit infrastructure in health facilities in Tanzania. I will be conducting a combination of quantitative analysis, such as analyzing floor plans, and qualitative work, including interviewing healthcare workers. Through this research, I aim to understand and inform on the impact of hospital infrastructure on the quality of care delivered.
This summer, I am looking forward to working with a diverse team of individuals from all across the world. I aspire to keep a beginner’s mindset in my journey, and I hope to gain a deeper context to factors that can affect healthcare. We will be departing for Dar es Salaam in a week, and I am both nervous and excited about what the next 7 weeks have in store for me!
Shrutika