VIVEK SHAH
2017-18 Traveling Fellow
Reengineering Access: Translational Challenges and Cultural Considerations of Medical Technology
Understanding how stakeholders in health systems in LMICs respond to shifting disease burden and technical & sociocultural factors that influence global perceptions of Western medicine.
Blog: Reengineering Access: Translational Challenges and Cultural Considerations of Medical Technology
Hometown: Arlington Heights, IL
Majors/Minors: Biomedical Engineering & Chemical Engineering / Math & Chemistry
Throughout his time at Vanderbilt, Vivek worked in engineering labs focused on nanoparticle formulation for drug delivery and breast cancer treatment using ultrasound. In addition, Vivek served as Head Resident Adviser in Warren and Moore College Halls, Co-Chair of the Vanderbilt University Speakers Committee, and as a Vanderbilt University Tour Guide. However, his fondest Vanderbilt memories were playing Ultimate Frisbee as a part of the Men’s Club team.
TRAVEL STORIES
I rode 2 hours outside of Xela, Guatemala in the back of a pickup truck to set up a satellite clinic at a school. I helped with patient intake and worked at the pharmacy filling prescriptions and reviewing dosing directions with patients!
I attended an ayahuasca ceremony with a shaman for a patient experiencing anxiety in the Peruvian jungle.
I dissected mosquitoes and ran lab experiments to assess how successfully specific species serve as vectors for malaria in the Zambian bush.
I climbed Kilimanjaro while in Tanzania. I trained by running 10k’s across the Zambian bush. I was able to summit and descend in 4 days rather than the expected 6 days.
ITINERARY
July-Aug 2017 | Guatemala (Xela, Guatemala City, Santiago Atitlan)
Aug 2017 | Ecuador (Galapagos Islands, Chimborazo)
Aug-Sept 2017 | Peru (Iquitos, Lima, Cusco)
Sept 2017 | South Africa (Cape Town)
Sept 2017 | Zambia (Livingstone, Macha, Lusaka)
Oct-Nov 2017 | Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Arusha, Mwanza)
Nov 2017 | Malawi (Blantyre, Mwanza)
Nov 2017 | India (Surat, Jaipur, Mumbai)
Dec 2017 | Sri Lanka (Colombo, Kandy, Trincomalee)
Dec 2017-Feb 2018 | India (Chennai, Kerala, Rishikesh, Dharamsala, Darjeeling)
Feb 2018 | Bhutan (Thimpu, Punakha, Paro)
Mar 2018 | Nepal (Kathmandu, Pokhara)
Apr 2018 | China (Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Sichuan Province, Yunnan Province)
May 2018 | Vietnam (Sa'pa, Hanoi)
Jun 2018 | Myanmar (Yangon, Mandalay, Inle)
Jun 2018 | Cambodia (Siem Riep)
Jul 2018 | Thailand (Chiang Mai, Bangkok)
