Finally the sun was shining as we ventured out, bright and early, outside of the city and back to school. We arrived at Austral University’s Pilar campus where the student hospital is located. Originally, upon entering the large school building, I did not realize that we were also in an active, private, and non-profit hospital that accommodates the whole region. We were visited by brilliant physicians who also are teachers on campus through a series of informational classes. The first presentation was by Dr. Marcelo Villar who was the President of the University and gave us insight onto its young history. Due to the status of the country in the late 1970s, the University was a unique addition to the country through generous investors as a private option for students. It is now ranked as the second-best University in Argentina, and that is considering the first is the University of Buenos Aires which is a very old, large, and public university that is free to attend. This actually reminded me of the feud between Pitt and Penn State as they compete for applications from students in Pennsylvania and vary greatly in size and source of funding. Yet, despite the competitive nature, the size of Austral restricts the number of students admitted as a rather small University with limited resources. There are currently three campuses in total with another one in Buenos Aires that we will be attending later. I was surprised to find no dormitories located on campus as students commute, especially considering a heavy graduate student presence.

The campus was large and beautiful, especially with the fall leaves, and featured many different buildings for each of the main majors, such as a business, engineering, and law. After a delicious lunch in the cafeteria, we were able to spend some time walking around and getting a sense of a more rural campus than Pitt’s urban campus, which was refreshing. Students were enjoying their long lunch break or studying on the lawn as we passed. Since there is a season reversal below the Equator, students have summer break during January and February instead. The undergraduate building, which houses all of the undergraduate programs, was very modern and featured many students attending classes. Due to their strong Christian values, there was even a place of worship at the heart of campus. 

The teaching hospital is definitely a highlight of the Pilar Austral campus. Similar to the partnership between UPMC and Pitt, there is a strong emphasis on healthcare development in the area. Physicians are actually required to teach classes while working at the hospital. Dr. Marcelo Peloizari and Dr. Gastón Gabin were the other two lecturers of the day and discussed the healthcare system in Argentina and Austral as well as upcoming global trends that inspire a need for active innovation to be sustainable in the growing industry. Interestingly, most of their decisions are made on a short timeline because of the economy’s instability that prevents much accurate outlook on the future. I am excited to further explore the hospital’s features tomorrow back on campus integrated with Austral students.

The rest of our program day was spent on a tour bus as we weaved through the streets of Buenos Aires. Between the skyscrapers in Porto Moderno, the colorful streets of La Boca, and the Casa Rosada in the Congressional district, I loved being able to see multiple parts of the large city at once and plan on visiting each of them later on this trip. After today, I have gained an even greater appreciation for all of its unique cultural significance.