Hi everyone! My name is Mehmet Acikel. I am a rising sophomore on the pre-med track, studying biochemistry and minoring in global health technologies. I am originally from New Jersey, and my favorite hobbies include playing basketball and trying new cultural food. I am excited to embark on this two-month journey of learning and growth. I am excited to learn more about the culture, history, and people of Malawi. It is a blessing to have this opportunity, and I hope to give back as best I can.

My interest in global health began during my junior year of high school. At the time, I wrote my extended essay on the Mediterranean commensality, the act of eating together, and how it creates health benefits for both communities and individuals. I found the social and cultural dimensions of healthcare fascinating, and I read multiple books in the medical anthropology space, which furthered my interest in global health.

Since coming to Rice, I have had the opportunity to engage with the Rice 360 Global Health Club as part of the special topics committee and with the Rice Association for African Development, where I helped design an improved complementary food packet to address malnutrition in Nigeria. Both of these experiences furthered my interest in approaching global health from a technical standpoint, which led me to this internship.

Katie and I plan to focus on receiving feedback for two projects this summer: a tourniquet trainer and a lung-ultrasound traines used to simulate different lung pathologies. I am eager to also work on projects with the students from MUBAS, as everyone has been super kind and motivated. This summer, I hope to develop a project combining hardware with software, as I am interested in learning about the cohesive development of medical devices. As someone with little experience with hardware but a decent amount of exposure to software, it will be an excellent opportunity to learn from students in Malawi and expand my skill set.

After multiple long flights, we arrived in Malawi yesterday around noon. In our first two days here, it has been great to explore different markets and meet the amazing people we will be working with this summer. Before this trip, my family was fortunate enough to find a contact in Malawi, so Katie and I could also meet with him today. He runs a school called Bedir, which is 5 minutes away from Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Having someone like him as a contact point is such a blessing. Next week, since it is Eid (an Islamic holiday), I plan to go and distribute food with him in some villages around Blantyre. I am excited to meet and speak with some of the high school students at his school, who have aspirations of studying college abroad in Europe and other countries.

As someone who enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures, I am excited to share food with, build connections with, and learn from more people. Whenever I travel, I find myself in awe of how vast and beautiful our world is. I cannot wait to learn more about Malawi and myself through this trip. I plan to reflect deeply on my experiences here and bring what I have learned back to the US. Specifically, learning more Chichewa before I leave will be great!

Looking forward to these next two months. Thanks for reading!

Hello everyone! I am beyond excited to begin this journey and take you along with me for the next two months, but first, let me introduce myself!

My name is Katie Voong, and I am a rising junior studying Health Sciences and minoring in Global Health Technologies. I’m originally from Connecticut, and my favorite pastimes include trying new food and watching psychological thriller movies!

My interest in global health first began when I took an introduction course my freshman year on a whim. It was intriguing to learn how to develop and contribute thoughtfully to healthcare technology for limited resource settings, and it challenged me to think beyond what I knew and step outside familiar healthcare environments. 

Although I enjoyed the class, I was initially hesitant about the technical side of designing global health technology due to my lack of experience in the engineering. However, I decided to enroll in Appropriate Design for Global Health my sophomore year, determined to learn the engineering design process and broaden my skillset. Working on a team of four other Rice students, we devised a low-cost and accessible arm model to simulate arterial bleeding. We are aiming for it to be used to train users on applying tourniquets, control hemorrhagic bleeding, and save lives in an affordable and global manner. Implementing the engineering design process and seeing our prototype come to life was a rewarding experience, and made me interested in seeking further opportunities contribute to the global health engineering field. 

Now in Malawi, I will be working on a project with an intern from MUBAS (Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences), as well as gather feedback on a couple medical device prototypes pulled from the engineering design course last semester, including the arm model that I worked on! It will be exciting to receive insightful feedback from clinicians, especially in a setting that my team and I envisioned our model could be implemented in. My fellow Rice 360 intern, Mehmet and I, will also be conducting needs finding research and develop our own personal project. Overall, I am excited to build an interdisciplinary skillset by combining my background in health sciences with hands-on engineering experience. I hope to strengthen my creative problem-solving abilities, learn how to think more like an engineer, and better understand the needs of resource-constrained settings and contribute in a way that supports and strengthens them. Although I know there will be challenges ahead, I’m determined to stay flexible, learn as much as I can, and give my best throughout this journey. 

As someone with little international travel experience, I’m also excited to immerse myself in a new culture. Already I’ve been struck by the beauty of Malawi, the lush greenery and rays of sunlight illuminating the mountain peaks are sights I will not forget. I’ve also met with mentors who have shown me nothing but kindness, hospitality, and warm pride for their country. These first few days have reminded me how big this world is and how many places there are to learn from and appreciate. I’m looking forward to continue this journey and understand what makes Malawi the so called “warm heart of Africa”. 

Thanks for reading!

Katie