Hello everyone! My name is Archisha Ghosh and I am a rising senior in the Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh. I am a Molecular Biology major in the Cell and Developmental Biology track with minors in Sociology, Chemistry, and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. I am also finishing up a Certificate in Global Health and a Certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. Outside of classes, I also work as an undergraduate researcher for a lab in the Department of Opthalmology in the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine. I am the co-president of Keep It Real, a club where college students tutor local Somali-Bantu refugee kids, and a student leader in SAFE (Sexual Assault Facilitation and Education) where we present topics related to healthy sexual relationships and beyond to our peers. When I have some free time, I like to bake and watch tv.

In about a week I will be traveling to Graz, Austria for the next five weeks! I will be going as part of the Comparative Healthcare in Graz program which, as it sounds, compares the healthcare systems of Europe and America. We will be visiting different facilities associated with healthcare in Graz such as the disabilities center and the apothecary to glean a better idea of how the healthcare system in Graz is structured and operated. Then, we will be able to compare that with our knowledge of the healthcare system in the United States of America.

While taking classes for my Certificate in Global Health, I became more interested in global health and how healthcare structure is a factor in health determinants around the world. Growing up in America has already provided me experiences with the American healthcare system but I wanted to explore how other countries organized their healthcare systems and how those strategies could be incorporated into bettering the American healthcare system.

While abroad, I hope to learn how Austria, a country known for its healthcare, structures its healthcare. I also want to learn more about Austria as a country as I have never been to Europe and I find learning about new cultures and lifestyles stimulating. Hopefully, I’ll be able to pick up some German while I’m there as well. Studying abroad has always been a dream of mine and it is finally coming true! I can’t wait to expand my worldview through my experiences with healthcare and other general experiences in Austria.