Coffee, Crocs, and Covidence
By: Louise Wang, CAS ’24
Louise working on text screenings at a cafe.
Future Water Institute – Cape Town, South Africa
Welcome! Today I am sharing what a typical day in my life looks like as a VIA intern while also working full-time. I am currently a pharmacy technician at one of the busiest pharmacies in my hometown in Maryland. I usually work from early afternoon to close, but that doesn’t mean I get to sleep in! I wake up routinely at 8 AM before going through my morning rituals of skincare, lots of water-drinking, and checking my email to see if my project manager at the Future Water Institute, Dr. Amber Abrams, has sent any updates overnight. Then, I head over to a local café or Starbucks to complete my virtual work for the day, making sure to grab my scrubs (and rainbow Crocs!) for my shift later.
An iced americano is typically what fuels me for the next few hours of various systematic review tasks. Currently, I am using the online tool Covidence to screen and gather appropriate published sources as evidence on extreme weather events (such as flooding and natural fires) and their human health impacts. This contributes to an overarching project aimed at developing a health vulnerability index based on such conditions. A health vulnerability index can be used to identify communities and populations at higher risk to extreme weather events. Using South Africa as the case study and the project’s home base, Dr. Abrams and her team are motivated to develop an engaging health vulnerability index framework that is locally relevant and accessible. Although I am only in Phase 1 of this process, I am having a lot of fun with my current role. Every time I am screening texts, I am reminded that I am contributing to the research of such an important public resource.
As a pre-med student, understanding how environmental variables impact public health is an issue I am very passionate about and eager to engage. VIA has allowed me to expand my perspective and definition of what it means to be and remain healthy. With VIA’s flexibility, I have the opportunity to contribute to health solutions and develop my professional skills on a global scale while simultaneously explore my interests in two different fields of public health. Speaking (or writing) of, it is now time for my shift at the pharmacy. The next months will be a busy few but undoubtedly fulfilling. I am eager to live a summer that will benefit me both in the classroom next fall and in future experiences within this field.
The Virtual Internships Abroad (VIA) program provides self-directed and motivated Penn undergraduate students the opportunity to gain a fully funded professional work experience over the summer with a global employer, with the added convenience of working remotely.