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By Edna Bissoon While in Guatemala I was able to visit some of the most awe-inspiring parts of the country including Lake Atitlán with its magnificent volcanoes and beautiful indigenous culture. Lake Atitlán means "between the waters" in the indigenous Nahuatl language. The lake basin is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed by … Continue reading La Belleza Natural de Guatemala →

by Jordan Anderson Well here I am at the end of a life changing summer. Sitting in Dubai’s airport on my way back to San Francisco, I can’t help but think how different life is here versus where I came from. I am surrounded by gold necklaces for sale at outrageous prices, yet I drove … Continue reading From the Depths of Africa to its Peak →

By Edna Bissoon I spent the Summer of 2019 in Jalapa, Guatemala a small rural city about 2 hours from the capital. As soon as I arrived I felt at ease because Jalapa has a bustling city center surrounded by untouched forestry, beautiful rolling hills and horses dotting the pastures. However, it took me a … Continue reading Eat, Sleep, and Breathe Guatemala →

By Jessica Blum The drive from San Diego to Ensenada lasts about an hour and a half, and takes you right along the coast of Mexico, offering beautiful ocean views. Although nearly anyone could appreciate the scenic beauty, it is only when you make the trip down with a local that you realize there are … Continue reading Landmarks →

By Jessica Blum When most people hear the words “global health,” images of sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti, and South Asia may all come to mind, among other locations. Regardless, one often imagines a far-off place wrought with starvation, infectious disease and an implied poor health infrastructure. Living in San Diego, we are uniquely situated to defy … Continue reading Close to Home →

By Aislinn McMillan India really gave me an appreciation of perspective. It was monsoon season when I was there, and thus it was always pouring rain or overcast and about to be pouring rain. Streets would be muddy and commutes would be wet. My American umbrella was not fit to deal with the rains and … Continue reading Until Next Time, India →

by Jordan Anderson Well, here we are at the end. I am sorry that my blog post is coming so close to the conclusion of my trip. Sometimes it takes until the end to truly understand the beginning. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Jordan Anderson and I am going into my second … Continue reading “Bem-vinda a Mozambique!” →

By Aislinn McMillan ‘Endometrium.’ ‘Cystic lesions from cerebellum.’ ‘Gluteal abscess.’ ‘Fluid from knee’. ‘Placenta.’ ‘Collection around heel.’ As I sift through diagnostic registers, these are just a few of the types of samples types I see. Like many of my classmates, I relied heavily on a study resource called SketchyMedical to learn microbiology. This resource … Continue reading INDIA: WHEN TB IS ALWAYS IN THE DDX →

by Allison Reichl As I briefly mentioned in my last post, I spent my summer studying gene regulation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a type of liver cancer. ‘Fígado' is Portuguese for ‘liver,' and so it was one of the first words I learned! The basic premise of my project was to investigate whether stemness markers … Continue reading Fígado Fiend →

by Allison Reichl I have been living in beautiful Salvador, Brazil for a month now. My research project is to study stem cell genes in hepatocellular carcinoma, in order to understand whether cancer stem cells (CSCs) are important targets in liver cancer therapy. The resected livers that I study here are unique because of the … Continue reading Olá from Brazil! →