Hey everyone! My name is Bailey Garman and I just finished my sophomore year as a Natural Sciences/Pre-PA major in the College of General Studies. I am also pursuing a certificate in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. Outside of school, you can usually find me in the gym or on the disc golf course.

This summer, I’ve been granted the amazing opportunity to travel to northern India as a member of this year’s Himalayan Health class. There, I will be participating in two separate classes. Mountains and Medicine will give me insight into the differences between the American healthcare system I’m familiar with and the India’s healthcare system, with a special emphasis on the processes and struggles present in rural healthcare. After that, the Wilderness First Responder course will give me the tools I need to tackle critical healthcare emergencies in rural settings with limited resources. We will also be taking part in a three-day backpacking trek through the Himalayas!

As a prospective EMT (I’m taking my certification exam the day before I leave!) and someone who plans on building a career in healthcare, I am ecstatic to begin my journey this May. These courses will not only allow me to sharpen my hands-on skills, but will also allow me to think more critically about different challenges the patients I will care for face. I’m extremely grateful to Akshay Shah and Prof. Alter for hosting this program, and I can’t wait to work with them further very soon. I’ll be posting here again over the course of my trip – if you’re interested in what I’ll be learning, be sure to check back in!