The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) is excited to introduce one of two summer interns for the summer of 2024. Reema Chande is a rising senior at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia where she is pursuing a degree in Global Health Studies with a major in Psychology and a Chemistry minor.
Reema is part of the MCHC RISE-UP internship program, which brings together college students who are interested in public health. Reema said she learned about the internship program from a friend. “My friend knew that maternal health was right up my alley, but at that point, neither of us knew how much the program would center around health in underserved populations and current issues in healthcare. This was a pleasant surprise, and eventually, I learned about the different internship program sites at UC Davis, Sioux Falls, and Baltimore.”
Reema was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, so being matched with a more rural state like South Dakota was an exciting opportunity for this year’s intern. “I am grateful for the chance to get outside my comfort zone. As someone who is more familiar with larger cities, whether on the east or west coast, I definitely had a lot to learn about true rural health in South Dakota.”
Stationed in Sioux Falls, Reema will have the opportunity to visit a few American Indian Reservation clinic sites and learn about tribal health, which Reema says is a priority for her, as someone that wants wo work as a physician with Indian Health Services. (IHS).
Reema says she is glad to be working with an association that understands the importance of education in addition to hands on-learning. “As someone who has worked closely with HOSA-Future Health Professionals, I am glad to be working with an organization like SDAHO that integrates legislative, hospital administration and professional education aspects. I think medicine has a duty to go upstream and tackle political determinants of health that decide illness and wellbeing for so many, and SDAHO’s goals fit well within that vision.”
While at SDAHO, Reema will be involved in a variety of projects, including a survey of palliative care specialty training in our state’s long term care staff. “From the survey, our hope is to eventually create a map and directory to make it easier for providers to refer patients when it comes to palliative care services” Says Reema.
Reema is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in Georgia, so she is excited to also be collaborating with South Dakota’s Emergency Management Services (EMS). “We are exploring data on multiple topics, including EMS provider mental wellbeing turnover, mobile integrated health and telemedicine integration. As an EMT myself, I am excited to be looking into this, since ambulance services can be essential in reaching rural communities.” In addition, Reema is hoping to learn how clinicians can embed themselves as instruments to progress public health rather than working in a silo.
After graduation Reema’s goal is to study medicine and public health through a dual degree program, while continuing her work as an EMT and crisis counselor. She says, “As a student physician, I hope to be able to work within rural health clinics to gain skills to prepare me for this setting.” Reema’s dream job would be working in primary care, specifically in reproductive psychiatry as a physician caring for postpartum mental heath needs for new mothers.
When Reema is not studying, she enjoys anything that includes art. “I am a big fan of anything art-related, art museums, embroidery, painting, graphic design. If I can create it, I am there.”
SDAHO is excited to have Reema Chande as one of two 2024 SDAHO Rise-Up interns.
