Hello everyone, I am Aparna Ramani (she/her), and I am one of the Fall 2021 Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellows this semester! I am currently a 4+1 student finishing my undergraduate degrees in Natural Sciences and Sociology, with a certificate in Global Health and my Master’s degree in Health Policy and Management at Pitt Public Health. I am currently a Teaching Fellow for “Introduction to Global Health” with Dr. Salter and Dr. Fapohunda, in which I was a student during Spring 2021. In my freetime, I enjoy singing, thrifting, and cooking!

Within this course, I am conducting my own project in leading current events discussions in global health pertaining to weekly course topics. While the course traditionally involves discussions on the intersection of global health efforts from the local, national, to international level, I found that incorporating a dedicated weekly discussion will allow our class to broaden our understanding of how relevant the information we are learning is-here and now. Students have the opportunity to work in groups to develop a presentation on a current events topic which aligns to our class discussion during that week, allowing for students to apply the knowledge gained within this course to a small research project. This project is important to the class because not only is it allowing students to apply public health skills in research, but also practice presenting scientific research to an audience with varying degrees of knowledge on the specific topic. This is a very important skill for our students as future leaders and scholars, given we will be working in environments with individuals having diverse training, backgrounds, and experiences. 

My current professional goals are to pursue a research-oriented career in reproductive health policy. The CUTF allows me to connect with a course I enjoyed through a new lens, identifying areas for increased student discussion and engagement as it pertains to current events in global health research. This allows me to connect with topics such as global maternal and child health, as well as find the intersections between other pressing public health topics and maternal health. I hope to advance my own understanding on current events in global health through the weekly class presentations and my work with Dr. Salter and Dr. Fapohunda. 

Thank you for joining my journey in being a Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellow this semester. Stay tuned to hear more about my experience as the semester continues!