Day 5 in Bilbao! We started the day by going to a private hospital called Gogoa. They had a very interesting presentation prepared and showed us many of their recent innovations. The exoskeleton they showed us was designed to help patients in rehabilitation regain the ability to walk after an injury. This was my favorite! It was so fascinating to see in real life and watch my peers try it. We also got to see many other inventions including a vagus nerve stimulator and products to use for reaction time tests. 

After our visit to Gogoa, we went to the  University of Basque Country main campus. There, we met with a physical therapy professor. She showed us many different tools used to rehabilitate patients for a variety of different injuries. They had a great facility and it was so nice to get a behind the scenes tour. 

Next, we went back to the engineering campus to listen to a presentation from Dr. Abramowitch. He showed us his research on pelvic floor disfunction. I really enjoyed how he decided to research a cause that mattered to him rather than “following the money”. I thought that this was very admirable. Additionally, his research was very well done and he did a great job connecting it to both the nursing and bioengineering students.

Finally, the last activity we did was a hike through San Juan de Gaztelulgatxe. This was my favorite part of the trip yet despite being so difficult! It felt like a once in a lifetime experience and was so beautiful throughout the whole hike. This was another great day in Bilbao, can’t wait for more!