Hi! My name is Natalie Rankin and I am from Souderton, Pennsylvania. I am a first year nursing student at the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to pursuing my BSN, I am currently planning on getting the Global Health Certificate. I have taken Medical Sociology and Introduction to Epidemiology at Pitt and enjoyed both, and I am interested to see how the concepts I’ve learned apply to my study abroad course. Outside of school I enjoy going to the gym, playing soccer and tennis, and hanging out with my friends. I also love to travel and am so excited to have the opportunity to visit South America for the first time! At home I work as a Certified Nursing Assistant on a dementia unit at a nursing home. After getting my BSN I would like to work in an ICU unit and plan to get an advanced degree in the future. I would also like to find a way to incorporate global health into my career!

I chose to apply to the Plus3 Argentina program because of Argentina’s unique healthcare system that is very different from the United States. This healthcare perspective will be new and will advance my global health knowledge through learning about varying healthcare systems. I am also interested in seeing Argentina’s healthcare system because of the differences in care, accessibility, and resources throughout the country. I think now is an extremely interesting time to visit Argentina and talk to healthcare and government professionals, as they have a new president, Javier Milei, who is attempting to make changes to the current system. Visiting the country while these changes are going through congress will be interesting, as we will be able to hear about what parts of the healthcare systems we visit will be changed and how it will affect hospitals and citizens. Finally, I am excited to see Buenos Aires because of Argentina’s rich culture, art, architecture, and food!