This is the PowerPoint slide for a final project in my African Health and Healing history class. In this class, we studied the culture around health and healing in different African countries and how those traditions have changed over time. We examined the role of colonization in the spread of diseases as well as how the introduction of Western Medicine changed how healthcare was administered in these African nations. I chose this to use as my artifact because it represents my realization that my passion lies within the intersection of humanities and healthcare, especially around providing quality healthcare to underserved communities across the globe.
I had always known that I wanted to go into medicine and I have always been passionate about the humanities and the human condition, but this class and this project showed me that it was possible to combine the two. As a pre-med, there is a large focus on the science aspect of medicine, which is very important. Equally as important is the humanities aspect of medicine. As a physician, we will be working with human beings to treat other human beings and understanding the histories, cultures, and beliefs of other people allows us to create and provide quality healthcare to others and consider other methods of treatment that Western medicine doesn’t always utilize.
