The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) is excited to introduce one of two summer interns for the summer of 2023. Sanjana Murthy is a student at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania majoring in biology and anthropology with a minor in chemistry and a Certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. She has two years completed with two more years to go. “I want to go into medicine, so hopefully I will get into medical school after my undergrad work is done. I know it’s a long path, but I am very sure it’s the one I want to go down. I also want to keep public health a part of my life. I am very interested in public health research.”
Sanjana is part of the MCHC Rise-Up Internship program for undergraduate students. The program focuses on exposing students to different parts of public health with an emphasis on learning how to eliminate health disparities. There are three tracks: clinical, community engagement, and research. This year, there are four sites for the RISE-UP program: Johns Hopkins, University of South Dakota, UC-Davis, and the Aaniih Nakoda College in Montana.
While at SDAHO, Sanjana has focused on two specific areas so far. “Right now, I am working on a hospice and palliative care map. I have been calling different hospice centers across South Dakota to update the information we have about them. Hopefully I will make a map of all these hospice centers that will be posted on the SDAHO website as a resource for the public to use.” In addition, Sanjana is assisting with research for the Pediatric Crisis Standard of Care plan while learning about the many resources SDAHO has to offer. “SDAHO is so big on advocacy and that wasn’t something I had been involved with in the past. The more I get into it, the more interested I am to learn about it. Overall, it’s about learning how healthcare works behind the scenes, because I did not realize how much is going on in terms of policy, in terms of legislation and it all really does make a big difference in the way we see hospitals function and how all healthcare staff function.”
Touring many of our state’s different healthcare options has also been a big part of Sanjana’s internship, most recently visiting Avera Behavioral Health Center in Sioux Falls. “I thought it was a cool building and the way they built it was so intentional, they really thought of every little thing. I remember thinking as I was walking through the building that if I ever moved to Sioux Falls, I would love to work here.” In addition, Sanjana toured Sanford Research Center and Avel eCare.
In her free time Sanjana enjoys reading, being with family and spending time outdoors. “I really like hiking. Me and my family go to national parks every year and hike, I really like being outdoors.”
SDAHO is excited to have Sanjana Murthy as one of two 2023 SDAHO Rise-Up Interns. To watch Sanjana’s video, visit the SDAHO YouTube Channel.
