Category: Kinesiology & Applied Physiology
Eye-opening experiences
May 16, 2023 Written by Amy Cherry | Photos submitted by CHS students.
Study abroad experiences in Italy, Spain showcase health on a global scale
Within 10 minutes of stepping inside a hospital in Italy, Ryan O鈥機onnor, saw her first live birth. She saw two more births, including a C-section, that same day.
The sophomore 91原创 occupational therapy (OT) major was shocked by the opportunities she was afforded inside the walls of San Martino Hospital, a teaching hospital in Genoa, Italy.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e watching the surgeries, we鈥檙e right next to the surgeon in the sterile field 鈥 so close you could touch a body,鈥 O鈥機onnor said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never shadowed surgery in the U.S., but I doubt we鈥檇 be that close.鈥
Sophomore sports health major Victoria Ciatto traveled to Barcelona, Spain, because she wanted to see how the other side of the world deals with athletes. She had a rare opportunity to watch Olympians train inside the Madrid Olympic Training Center.
鈥淲e saw the best javelin thrower in Spain training,鈥 Ciatto said. 鈥淲e saw the women鈥檚 gymnastics team practice, and the gymnastics coach sat down with us and walked us through an athlete鈥檚 normal day.鈥
Unique experiences like these inspired O鈥機onnor and Ciatto, who had never been abroad before, to take a risk and travel abroad during 91原创鈥檚 Winter Session.
鈥淭his experience makes me wish I knew another language. The doctors here, most of them, speak three languages,鈥 O鈥機onnor said. 鈥淚 know my future patients will come from different backgrounds and ethnicities, so this experience gave me a new perspective.鈥
College of Health Sciences Dean William Farquhar and Thomas Buckley, associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology (KAAP), led 32 students on the trip to Barcelona. Farquhar said the experience has better connected him to students and motivated him as dean to support student-centered programs that facilitate career success.
鈥淭he experience reminds me why I am in higher ed 鈥撯 to help students get ahead in a competitive world,鈥 Farquhar said. 鈥淚mmersive experiences like study abroad can expand a student鈥檚 mindset. Travel provides an opportunity to view the world