Hello everyone!

My name is Elsa Fura, and I just finished my sophomore year at the University of Pittsburgh Honors College. I am super excited about the opportunity to share my study abroad experience in Graz, Austria with you all!

Before I leave for my global experience next week, I want to share a little bit about me and why I decided to go on the Comparative Healthcare in Graz global experience.

I am a second-generation Ethiopian-American from Princeton, New Jersey. I love workout classes, reading, spending time with my loved ones, and travelling. My favorite food place in Oakland has to be Mount Everest Sushi. My favorite activity in Pittsburgh is exploring all the vintage shops in Shadyside.

Next year, I begin my first year at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. I am passionate about specializing in drug development, specifically working on different phases of clinical trials for life-saving medications. I am also passionate about teaching, which is why I spent a semester as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Foundations of Biology 1. I have been apart of numerous research projects at the School of Pharmacy, including an initiative for training modules that expose underrepresented students to master’s and graduates programs in pharmaceutical sciences.

Professionally, I hope to enter the pharmaceutical industry as a Clinical Scientist in drug development. Right now, I work as an inpatient Pharmacy Technician at the UPMC Presbyterian, which I love because it allows me to see how imperative drug development is to patient care.

As someone who is entering pharmacy school next year, I chose the Comparative Healthcare in Graz program because I Want to learn about healthcare structures of other countries to hopefully improve our own. There are many practices that European countries adopt that I believe could be applied to the American healthcare, particularly the emphasis on including all citizens in healthcare plans. In addition, I want to observe the day-to-day habits of locals in Graz, since Austria is 25th in the world in life expectancy while the United States is 47th. If there are certain foods, regimes, or social patterns that contribute to this success, I want to see if they can be implemented into America’s culture. Austria being the location of this program only increased my desire to be a part of this immersive experience, since I have been dreaming about visiting Austria since I was six years old, enthralled by the views displayed in the Sound of Music. 

I can’t wait to share the rest of global experience with you all!