Hi y’all!

Since this is my first post of the summer, I wanted to make a brief introduction. My name is Alex David and I am a rising senior from Will Rice College majoring in BioSciences and in Sports Medicine & Exercise Physiology, and I am minoring in Global Health Technologies. Outside of academics, I am the president of the Rice Men’s Club Volleyball team, and I try to find any chance I can get to play, either on the beach or on an indoor court. I also love all things coffee, whether it is trying to brew the perfect cup, exploring local coffee shops, or chatting with other “javaphiles” about our shared love for coffee.

I’m looking forward to this internship in Malawi because of the new perspectives I will engage with and for the opportunity to learn from a low-resource healthcare setting. I hope to make the most of this experience and will be making weekly posts and updates on this blog!

Over the last few weeks, Pranav (the other US intern traveling to Malawi), and I have been getting ready for our departure next Monday. It has been a whirlwind of flight planning, vaccines, VISA applications. This past week was my first week back at Rice, and the other Rice360 interns and I have split our time between the OEDK and the BRC setting goals and making preparations for the rest of the internship.

I will be working with Waliko, an intern from Malawi, on two projects. Our first project is on an infant transport incubator so that babies are kept warm as they are moved around the hospital. This project is still in the early stages, and much of our work will be conducting needs-finding at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. Our second project is a little bit further along in the design process, and we will be working on prototypes for NESTation, a low-cost solution capable of storing, charging, and sanitizing handheld medical devices in low-resource settings.

I have also set some personal goals for myself for the summer. Entering into an unfamiliar environment is often difficult, and I know that sometimes, it is easy to stick to doing what I am comfortable with. I want to keep myself accountable for pushing that boundary, and making connections with the individuals that I will be working alongside. I have so much to learn from this experience and will get the most out of it by adopting an open mindset and by not being afraid to ask questions. Finally, I want to have fun! While my main purpose in Malawi is to work, I will be exposed to a new culture and environment, and chances to immerse myself in a culture different from back home are often rare in a lifetime.

Although we have a long trip ahead of us, I can’t wait to hit the ground running in Malawi next week!

Thanks for reading my post!
Alex