Penn Abroad Ambassador Aravind Krishnan

Program: 

• PGS: Seeing/Hearing Globally Indigenous Music and the Arts of Healing with travel to Australia

• GRIP: CASI India Summer Internship Program

Ask me about...

• One of my most unique experiences in my two abroad experiences this year was working in an environment where the spoken and written languages were both completely different from English. The Aravind Eye Care System is based in Madurai, a mid-sized historical city in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state in India. The language here is Tamil, and fortunately, I already knew how to speak Tamil before going there this summer, so I was excited to practice this new skill.

• Experiencing an internship where both the learning curve was steep and the general lifestyle was very distinct to mine back in the U.S. took some adjustment—I'd be happy to talk with students about this unique experience in a healthcare setting in a completely foreign country with a different language.

• As someone whose family's roots are in Tamil Nadu, I'd also love to talk about the joys that came with being an "unofficial guide" to my three other co-interns from Penn who were also in Madurai with me.

• Additionally, students can ask me about how I was able to find this opportunity through CASI, and how they can get involved in India-oriented experiences abroad through that organization.

My Experience Abroad:

I applied for the PGS Australia course initially because its title piqued my interest. Being fascinated by traditional medicine and different healthcare modalities in rural settings, "Seeing/Hearing Globally Indigenous Music and the Arts of Healing" perfectly suited this fascination.  With most of my courses being very quantitative, and focused on the life sciences and business, this course was a welcome oasis in the desert of numbers and facts that made up my other courses. Both the in-class experience and our 10 days in Australia were truly unforgettable. I cherish all of the memories I've made through the class and still interact with newfound friends I made. As I move forward with a career in the clinical and research sides of medicine, I will keep my learnings about the life and history of Aboriginal Australians at the forefront of my mind as I pursue one of my fundamental goals—ensuring healthcare is accessible to all who need it, regardless of who they are or where they live. Fundamentally, the class taught me that the most powerful tool one can have is a voice. A voice conveys histories, traditions, art, music, and one's hopes and dreams for tomorrow. In my career, I will work towards a future in which all voices are heard in creating a more equitable, just system of medicine that fundamentally works for all.

My internship in India this summer at the Aravind Eye Hospital, funded through GRIP and the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) was a logical continuation for me of the PGS Australia course. I wanted to put some of the ideas I was inspired to create into action, and this came to fruition through this opportunity to learn about and improve treatment paradigms at India's largest ophthalmological hospital. It was amazing to see the unrelenting efficiency of this institution, achieving metrics that simply would not be possible with the bureaucracy and profit-driven model of the American system. My project was focused on improving treatment paradigms, outreach, and follow-up rates for patients in the pediatric clinic of this hospital. Through this process, I internalized the intricacies of effective health outreach and developing a healthcare model that reaches all who need the care being provided. During my future career in medicine and public health, the Aravind Eye Care Model is certainly something I will strive to achieve.

Other Highlights:

• Rapidly learning how to read and write Tamil there just by practice in a matter of a couple of weeks

• Taking spontaneous trips on the train to different cities every weekend

• Forming deep friendships with the nurses and doctors at the Aravind Eye Hospital, and still being in touch with them today!

• Being graciously welcomed into Indigenous land and learning from some of the people whose books and writings we read in class!

• Seeing all the natural beauty, especially the Australian wildlife that is completely distinct from anywhere else in the world

• Experiencing the cultural melting pot of Sydney and experiencing firsthand the transition between the traditional, rugged Outback and metropolitan, urban Australia