It was great to finally arrive in Bilbao after a very long travel day yesterday! We started off with group breakfast in the hotel (light years ahead of any in the US) and took the metro to our first portion of the day.

We began by going to the Basurto Hospital, where we got insight regarding the healthcare system in Spain. It was very intriguing to learn about a country where healthcare is free, and primary care is emphasized. It is so different from the US, and my overall impression is that it is a much more organized and efficient approach that is better for the patients. In addition, we learned about the ongoing research that is happening at the hospital, which was about the usage of primary care. After all of this, we got to see the hospital complex as well a network with the speakers, which was amazing even as an engineer. They were all very willing to talk to us and explain their work!

We then walked to the biomedical research center, and we got to learn about a VR training system as well as implementation of medical research. This center was so cool, and showed a lot of great ideas in the works. Seeing this process of research was meaningful to me as an engineer, as research is something I want to get involved with at Pitt next year. Implantation of research is clearly something that needs worked on everywhere, and they are trying to make this better for the projects, which is amazing.

In our last portion of the day, we visited the Umiversiry of Basque Country School of Engineering. We got an overview of the rest of our time in Spain, and there truly is a lot to look forward to. I can’t wait to reflect on tomorrow after even more new experiences!