During my first year here at Harvard, I’ve fallen in love with Cambridge. However, one Saturday afternoon in particular, I couldn’t have been more excited to leave. Along with eight other students, I went on an Alternative Spring Break trip sponsored by the Harvard Pre-medical Society and the Phillips Brooks House Association, Harvard’s umbrella public service organization. Our destination: New Orleans!
On our first day there, we took advantage of the beautiful sunshine to explore New Orleans (and its amazing food). We also toured Tulane University’s medical simulation center, with its lifelike mannequins, and sat down with the dean of the medical school to learn more about health care delivery in the city after Hurricane Katrina.
For the rest of the week, we were assigned to shifts at various health clinics around the city, and I spent most of my time working with another Harvard volunteer at a pediatric clinic not far from our hostel. We shadowed two doctors, sitting in on their appointments and helping out with the children when needed. Through interactions with the patients and physicians, I began to see more clearly how crucial it is to ensure the overall well-being of young children and to make sure that they maintain healthy lifestyles.
One mother brought in her four children, and while the doctor did routine checkups one-by-one, we did our best to keep the others occupied. One of the little girls mimicked the doctor’s actions, tapping her brother’s legs. “Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up?” we asked her. She turned to us and nodded, a little grin on her face.
When I worked at an adult clinic a couple days later, I couldn’t help but recall the children’s playfulness in contrast to the patients I saw that morning. One gentleman in his late 50s told me about his love for sports when he was younger. Unfortunately, he hasn’t taken care of himself in other respects since then, and his body has turned against him. Now, even everyday movements give him trouble. Of course, it’s well known that certain lifestyle choices can greatly increase one’s risk for developing serious diseases like cancer or diabetes. But once upon a time, these patients were just as full of hope as the little girl, and I want so much for her—and all of the other kids we saw—to lead a healthy, fulfilling life.
I could learn so much about health care policy by reading a book or taking a course (and after my experience in New Orleans, I plan on exploring health policy opportunities at Harvard-- http://www.healthpolicy.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate/index.html). Yet, working directly with the people who are most impacted definitely gave me more inspiration for what I want to do in the future.
This year, the Phillips Brooks House Alternative Spring Break trips included: Pre-Med Work in New Orleans, HIV/Aids Assistance in New York, Civil Rights and Social Justice Tour in Mississippi, Pets as Therapy in Massachusetts, and Harvard Hillel in New Orleans, just to name a few! To learn more, visit http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~asb/Site/Welcome.html.
