Enjoying a summer weekend in the Italian canton of Switzerland

Author: Breanna Kilgore | Major: Biomedical Engineering

Bonjour! I am Breanna Kilgore, rising senior majoring in Biomedical Engineering and I had the pleasure of spending 6 weeks studying abroad in Switzerland. I chose to study abroad in Geneva, Switzerland to gain a better understanding of global health and how it can possibly intersect with engineering. As a biomedical engineering student, I often investigate science at a technical level. I wanted to take a few weeks to take a large overview of health and technology and how they impact each other, and having a global perspective can help increase my understanding. In the future, I hope to study bioengineering innovation and product development and how it impacts low-resource communities and I hope to work internationally.

While abroad, I participated in lectures on Global Health and Developmental Policy from experts in the field. They focused on topics such as healthcare crisis management, maternal health, healthcare access and equity, and social protection for all citizens. These experts worked at international organizations such as the UN and WHO, and they were physicians and educators in Switzerland. In addition to lectures focused on global health, I took an intensive beginner’s French course. In the morning I attended the global health lecture, and took French in the afternoon. Since these were summer courses, each lecture was about 3 hours so I had to grow accustomed to long class times, and I often spent 6 hours per day in class (wow!). However, lunch ranged from 1.5-2 hours each day which was a nice break between classes.

The classes differed from those at the U of A by method of instruction. Most of our lecturers didn’t have a background in education and they weren’t professors. Instead, they were experts in the field whose main job was working in the healthcare and policy field. Most of the time we did in-class exercises and engaged in discussion on topics such as drug and alcohol abuse, childhood obesity, why breastfeeding is discouraged, and planetary health. This differed greatly from my usual mathematics based engineering courses, but I was able to apply my problem-solving skills the same. I enjoyed getting to explore medical issues from a different perspective that often motivate biomedical engineered technology. Overall, I learned that health intersects in all areas of life and it affects everyone in the world.

Towards the end of the program, I was also tasked with a research paper on any topic within global health and policy. I decided to investigate how medical technology influenced the development of healthcare systems in low-resource areas. I read many research articles on this issue and got the opportunity to interview professionals who worked in the non-profit and biotechnology field. This research assignment gave me the opportunity to apply what I had learned over the semester while researching a subject I was passionate about. I learned about the complex relationships between policy, humanitarian organizations, local government in and how they impact the implementation of medical technology.

Since I had the opportunity to learn the French language, I had many chances to practice outside of the classroom. I lived with a Swiss host family and got to practice French with some family on the weekend. Navigating an area where I wasn’t fluent in the language was challenging but rewarding when I was able to successfully order food or get directions to a new place. When not in class, I enjoyed trying different Swiss meals with my host mom at dinner time. Learning the language and cuisine of an area can help understand the culture and people. Spending time with my host family gave me a better understanding of Switzerland and I learned tons of quirky facts about the country: Cattle cows are sent to the mountains for vacation during the summer for grazing, eggs aren’t refrigerated in the store, sunflower oil is used mostly because it’s more sustainable/environment friendly. In addition to learning new things about Switzerland, I had the privilege to travel the country for free since it was included in my program! It was convenient to have a transportation card that allowed me to take any train, bus, or boat that I wanted to in Switzerland. My favorite part of the summer were the boat rides and how relaxing they turned out to be. On the weekend, I was able to travel to different parts of Switzerland to see the beautiful mountains and lakes of Switzerland. I was able to experience most of the diverse Swiss culture by traveling to the French, German, and Italian part of the country. I had the privilege to experience three different language groups and different types of cultures within one country. Since it was summer, there were always culture and music festivals happening every weekend which made it fun to go out and try different food and music. I can successfully say I have probably eaten half of my body weight in cheese!

For future students, I’d advise that you get out of your comfort zone! Go try the new food and travel to unknown places. I learned so much about myself by being in uncomfortable situations and I believe living in a different culture is important for everyone. You truly learn your personal unconscious biases you have by living with people who think differently than you do. Living abroad also gives you the opportunity to truly take inventory of what you value and believe in. I was able to have meaningful conversations with people who were different from me without arguing or being offended, and I think that is important for our current cultural and political climate.

If you have the chance to go abroad, do it! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to study and live in a different country as a student, instead of vacationing there for a small amount of time. I definitely had an amazing time and want everyone to experience this. I recommend the SIT Switzerland Global Health and Policy program for anyone truly interested in humanitarian action or wanting to gain a global perspective to healthcare and developmental policy. It’s a great way to network with people in the field and a wonderful research opportunity as well. Studying abroad gave me a new perspective on the world and the people around me and I think I am a better person because of this opportunity. I will forever be grateful for my summer in Switzerland. Until next time, au revoir!