Health and Societies SAB (Student Advisory Board)
The HSOC Student Advisory Board is a group of students who plan and sponsor activities and coordinate information to support the HSOC major. Activities include career panels, blood drives, lectures, field trips, course fairs and social events. New members will be chosen midyear to overlap with graduating senior members.
Research, Internship, Fellowship and Career Opportunities
Questions? Suggestions? Email us at hsocsab@gmail.com
***2009-2010 HSOC SAB***
Anup Das '10 (anupdas) Disease and Society
I am a junior in the college, concentrating in Disease and Society, with minors in BBB, Health Care Management, and Chemistry. I am currently pursuing research in both health care economics and health care quality reporting. I want to go into medical school as well as pursue graduate studies in health care policy/health services research. Disease and society has exposed me to another way of looking at problems, something I definitely would not have gained through any other major, and I hope I can combine this with health care quality improvement in the future.
Sarah Gearhart '10 (esarah) International Health
I am a junior in the college, concentrating in International Health, with a minor in Chemistry. I am pre-med, and have most of my background in research (stem-cell, developmental genetics) but am eager to become more involved with the public aspect of health. My interests are in Central and South America, and after medical school I would like to work in clinics wherever I am needed. I am most interested in providing people with the medical care they need in the most helpful and efficient way possible, which is why I chose the HSOC major. Unlike the upper classman, I do not yet know a great deal about the various opportunities in the department, but I am happy to talk about my impressions so far.
Sarah Kounaves '11 (kounaves) International Health
I am a junior in the college, concentrating on International Health and minoring in French and Statistics. I am particularly interested in looking at changing health trends in immigrant populations. I am interested in further exploring the field of demography, and eventually plan to use the skills and knowledge from my major to study either demography or public health at a graduate level. I aspire to one day make great contributions in the public health field.
Sarah Ladley '10 (nsladley) Public Health
I am currently a Junior in the college, majoring in the Public Health concentration and minoring in Nutrition. I am interested in international nutrition- undernourishment versus over nourishment and how to find a balance and enough food for those who are undernourished. I aspire to investigate nutrition as a preventative health care procedure in the United States- will it cut down on medical costs? How will the government urge its citizens to live a healthier lifestyle? I plan to go to graduate school to study nutrition and earn my registered dietitian (RD) license in order to practice clinically and do research. I am also interested in bioethics (genetic, stem cell) with an emphasis on the personalized/ molecular side of nutrition (also known as Nutrigenomics).
Amanda Nelson '10 (nelsonap) Health Policy & Law
I am a junior in the College, concentrating in Health Policy & Law and minoring in Consumer Psychology and Spanish. I am interested in the commoditization of health care over time and the extent to which these concepts can be applied to health care reform (ie public health campaigns). Also, I am concerned with the degree to which health care policy in the United States shapes the experiences of patients and institutionalizes disparities. I aim to apply the interdisciplinary knowledge that I have gained in this major towards a law degree
Alix Pruzansky '10 (alixm) Disease and Society
I am a junior in the college concentrating in Disease and Society. Specifically, I am interested in the growing presence of obesity as well as healthcare in under-served communities. Since being at Penn I have had the opportunity to study and research obesity and obesity related illness both in classes within the major and with nutritionists and physicians at HUP. In addition, I spent two months volunteering in a medical clinic in Honduras both aiding physicians and teaching pre-natal and diabetes classes. I plan on writing a senior thesis in the fall about bariatric surgical treatments among adolescents. The HSOC major has provided me with many perspectives on health and healthcare which I hope to bring with me to medical school in the future.
Pavithra Jaisankar '11 (pavij) Public Health
I am a junior in the college, concentrating in Public Health. My experience interning at the Philadelphia-based nonprofit Women's Campaign International sparked my interest in issues of women's health; my continuing internship with Philadelphia's Maternity Care Coalition (MCC) has both deepened my commitment to women's health and also shifted my focus from global to local. In the next two years at Penn, I hope to come to a fuller understanding of the problems plaguing maternal health in Philadelphia, through work with MCC as well as through pursuing doula certification. After Penn, I hope to pursue public health and medicine, and to apply the knowledge I have gained into direct service.
Gabrielle Ritaccio '10 (ritaccio) Health Policy and Law
I am a senior in the College, concentrating in Health Policy and Law, and minoring in Political Science. I am interested in disparities in health care (both how they arise and how they are sustained) from the individual to the macropolitical levels. My interest led to a semester study abroad in the UK where I examined the similarities and differences between the National Heath Service and the third party payer system in the United States. In the future, I hope to pursue a Masters in Public Health and work towards improving both quality and access to health care.
K'Shelle Waller '11 (kshellew) Public Health
I am a junior in the College, concentrating in Public Health. I am interested in current healthcare programs and services available to urban populations living with HIV/AIDS. While at Penn, I have had the opportunity to learn more about HIV/AIDS and health programs for persons and families living with HIV/AIDS while working with CHOP’s Special Immunology Department. I hope to use the knowledge that I have gained from my experience with the Special Immunology Department and volunteer abroad for an international HIV/AIDS health program. After completing my undergraduate HSCO major at Penn, I plan to go to medical school.
(All email addresses are @sas.upenn.edu)
