Hello! My name is Kashvi Shah and I am a junior at Pitt. I am majoring in Rehabilitation Sciences on the pre-Physician Assistant track and am also pursuing certificates in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine and the Psychosocial Issues in Rehabilitation. I am very interested in studying and learning more about medicine, disability, and healthcare. In my future, I want to care for patients, aid in their rehabilitation, and most importantly, create more equality in American healthcare. In my past, I have worked as a Hospitality Associate at UPMC Mercy and have also worked as a Physical Therapy Aide in a PT clinic in my hometown. In both these positions, I received the opportunity to work hands-on with patients and aid healthcare workers like nurses and Physical Therapists to provide more efficient patient care. These positions inspired me to become a Physician Assistant in my future and continue my work in the healthcare field. In addition to my academic and professional interests, I have many personal passions that I enjoy during my pastime. Firstly, I have been a gymnast my entire life, and have continued my love for gymnastics at Pitt on the Club Gymnastics team. I am also a senior advisor for the Jain Student Association at Pitt, which is a club that brings together students of the Jain religion and creates a space for us to share our culture and religious practices.  

This semester, I have chosen to study abroad in Copenhagen with DIS. I chose this program because of the numerous different classes offered that focused on healthcare and disability. In my sophomore year of college, I took an introductory global health class that compared our healthcare system in the U.S. to other countries. Since then, I have placed a huge priority on understanding healthcare from a global perspective and learning from the practices of other countries and cultures. After seeing that DIS Copenhagen had so many options that indulged in my curiosities, I knew I wanted to be a part of the program. Thus, through this experience, my greatest academic goal is to learn about global health. I want to explore ways I can bring positive change to American healthcare and also understand the perspectives of medicine from another culture. Professionally, I hope to increase my abilities to connect with the multifarious peoples of our world. After working in the healthcare field in the last few years, the biggest thing I have learned is the importance of connecting deeply with each unique patient. Patients may be of any background, race, ethnicity, sexuality, etc., and I believe it is vital that medical professionals are able to empathize with each person regardless of their differences. Lastly, my personal goal during this experience is to develop stronger language skills. After studying in Denmark, I hope to learn a bit of Danish and expand my multilingual abilities. Though it will be challenging to become fluent, I would like to obtain some conversational skills.