As the trip comes to a close, I wanted to summarize my wonderful experience in Argentina. I gained so much during these two weeks, and made so many amazing friends. In terms of academics, I was surprised how much content I was able to absorb in just two weeks. The focus of the trip was…

Yesterday we spent the morning touring San Indisro, a local public hospital specializing in pediatrics and maternal health. The hospital we visited showed a very different side of healthcare here in Argentina. While the staff at the hospital cared greatly about the work that they do, there were many issues with the current situation there….

I cannot believe it is already day 11! We spent the morning attending a lecture from Exequiel Banga, the co-founder of the startup Codika. Codika works to apply new technology to healthcare. This bridges the gap between engineers and business experts because it allows them to communicate. In the lecture, Exequiel explained the process of…

Today was one of the more relaxed days we have had so far in Argentina. We began the day by visiting Conin, a community center in Tigre for young mothers and their children. 70% of the children that come to the center are underweight due to malnourishment. At the center, we were able to volunteer…

We spent the day in the municipality of Tigre, a delta with several islands near Buenos Aires. It was nice to get out of the city and see a different part of Argentina. We started by visiting Puesto Sanitario Delta Tigre, a community health center. After that, we visited Hospital Municipal Infantil de Tigre, a…

For all of the high schoolers that have made the choice to come to Pitt, I highly recommend going on Plus3 Argentina. So far, this trip has been filled with a variety of experiences. I am so happy I made the decision to come. The site visits earlier in the trip helped me to learn…

Today was a day full of exploration! We first explored the neighborhoods of Palermo, and then we toured the Malba, a modern art museum. The streets of Palermo are plastered with beautiful art with vibrant colors. I really enjoyed walking through the city and seeing the images that were depicted on the walls. We also…

I learned so much on the sixth day here in Argentina. We started the day with a lecture from Dr.Guillermo Williams regarding the Ministry of Health in Argentina. It was interesting to hear about the role of the Ministry of Health because there is no direct equivalent in the United States. Following lunch, we listened…

Today was very different than the rest of the time we have had here in Argentina. The rain and clouds reminded me of a dreary day in Pittsburgh. After listening to another guest lecture at Austral, we visited two community based health centers in Pilar. Both of these centers were funded by the Austral medical…

Today we went on a site visit to Andromaco, a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant located in Buenos Aires. The company focuses mainly on the production of topical creams, along with other products. The visit consisted of a tour of the facility, along with a question and answer session with a pharmacist that works for the plant….

We spent day three visiting the hospital at Austral and meeting current students of the university. Touring the hospital and learning more about their daily operations was a great experience. Speaking with the students helped me to notice some of the cultural differences I has previously missed. For example, upon meeting the Argentine students they…

Our first day of classes at Universidad de Austral Pilar Campus were a wonderful experience! From the lectures to the tour, Austral did not disappoint. The day began with an hour bus ride to Pilar, a surrounding town of Buenos Aires. We then heard two lectures from physicians at the university regarding the hospital side…

Following the long journey from Pittsburgh, to Atlanta, to the Ezeiza airport, we are finally here! The first nine hours in this country have been enjoyable so far despite the rainy, Pittsburgh-esque weather. With a brief walk through the city to get our bearings, a few things stood out to me. The city seems less…

Hey everyone! My name is Loren Fernandes, and I’m currently a freshman here at the University of Pittsburgh. I’m from Frederick, Maryland, which is about an hour outside of Washington D.C. For the first 10 years of my life, I lived in Orlando, Florida, so I consider myself a Floridian at heart. I’m a student…