Collaborated with Public Health Experts from distinguished organizations like the WHO, UNICEF, and the NIH.

Diagnosed a real patient from the Nagari Medical Clinic & Maternity Ward in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Developed a public health campaign for communities in Sub-Saharan Africa for implementation in 2021.

Arabi Mahanujam

Burlington Central High School

Class of 2022

Arabi Mahanujam is a rising senior at Burlington Central High School in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. She is an honours student enrolled in the IB Diploma Program.

Arabi Mahanujam enjoys hiking and reading. At school, she is a member of DECA, Model UN and HOSA as well as the executive member of a club for prospective healthcare professionals. She is one of the co-founders of a nonprofit environmental organization in her community, called Green Linings. She loves volunteering and finding ways to implement change in her community.

Arabi Mahanujam is excited to be participating in the Advanced Medical and Public Health Internship this summer as she enjoys learning about medicine and its many uses around the world. She hopes to one day become a biomedical engineer or researcher. In the future, Arabi wants to take her passion and skills to help people in need and create change.

My Medical Training

In Partnership With The Nagari Medical Clinic & Maternity Ward In Bauchi State, Nigeria

The Advanced Medical & Public Health Internship diagnosis is the first-ever program of its kind. I not only got to work with top medical professionals from around the world, but also save lives.

Through Zoom, I was connected with a clinic and maternity ward in Bauchi State, Nigeria where I was able to interact with my patients in real-time. Using the doctor in Nigeria as an extension of myself, I examined & diagnosed my patient using my diagnostic training on the top 4 leading causes of death in Nigeria; malaria, typhoid fever, nutritional anemia, & acute respiratory infections (ARI).

These patients were not actors. They were locals from Bauchi State that were all ill and would normally not be able to afford medical treatment as they earn $1.25 a day or less. In return for working with our participants, all of their treatments were funded by Leadership Initiatives.

In 2021, Leadership Initiatives was able to fund the treatment of 26 patients.

My Diagnosis

My Patient's

Diagnosis

Maryam Muhammad is a mother of two children. Most of her day consists of working as a tailor and assisting her husband who owns a small business. She lives in a small community called Gwallaga in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Her diet consists of minimal protein and not enough iron-rich foods. Her entire family sleeps with mosquito-proof netting. She has recently been too tired to keep up with her family and work.

Upon taking my patient's history, I found that Maryam presented with symptoms of fever, headache, and blurry vision. I requested a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) which came back positive allowing me to diagnose the patient with malaria. I prescribed Maryam Artemether-Lumefantrine, which is an anti-malarial tablet and advised her to wear long sleeves, pants and to sleep using an insecticide-treated mosquito net to prevent catching malaria again.

Maryam was ultimately diagnosed with malaria. She was placed on antimalarial drugs and advised to wear protective clothing along with using a treated net for further prevention.

Leadership Initiatives is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating future leaders across the globe through experiential learning.

At the conclusion of the internship, I presented my research proposal to a panel of judges including top executives from HOSA, the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee, and top public health experts.

In the Advanced Medical & Public Health Internship, I worked directly with development and public health experts to create an educational public health campaign. This campaign will target underserved communities in Nigeria and will be published and widely distributed in the area to increase awareness.

My Public Health Campaign Presentation

Internship Highlights

Experts & Mentors

I heard from top medical professionals in a variety of fields and specialties including emergency medicine, medical research, neuroscience, and surgery.

By working with experts, I gained a better understanding of the responsibilities associated with each medical specialty and how to go about pursuing those particular careers.

Additionally, I had the unique opportunity to speak to leading public health experts from WHO, PAHO, UNICEF, and the NIH. Their knowledge helped guide me determine the focus of my public health campaign.

I now have more insight into what steps I need to take to begin my journey in medicine.

Diagnostic Training

Dr. Garba taught a series of workshops that demonstrated the proper way to interview a patient and explained various techniques to investigate disease.

Throughout the internship, I developed skills in the collection, interpretation, and critical analysis of patient data.

With Dr. Garba’s guidance, I was able to improve my ability to synthesize and evaluate information, which is essential in the diagnostic process.

These exercises helped me advance my communication skills to appropriately evaluate patients and best understand their symptoms.

Nigerian Medicine

Through interactive educational seminars, I got an insight into the history of medical practices in Nigeria.

Dr. Garba provided me with the current practices in Nigerian medicine and a rich understanding of the growing mistrust of Western biomedical medicine in the region.

By meeting with actual patients, I gained insight into the lives of people living in Nigeria.

Understanding the lived experiences of these individuals allowed me to gain a critical perspective of what practices I could implement into my campaign to reduce the spread of infectious disease.

Triage

Through the internship, I acquired basic clinical skills including taking vital signs, evaluating symptoms, and performing neurological exams.

When discussing vitals signs, we explored different methods of taking pulse. After demonstrating competency using each method, I am confident in my ability to calculate heart rate in any patient.

When performing neurological exams, we utilized a procedure that assesses the twelve cranial nerves. These nerves help facilitate normal and healthy bodily functions, and it is critical to evaluate their function in triage.

Along with these basic procedures, I had the opportunity to learn specialized skills like suturing and plaster casting.

Suturing

In one of the leading interactive activities of the internship, I learned and practiced multiple suturing techniques on a human-skin model.

While working on suturing, I employed instruction from medical professionals on the varying techniques and forms of suturing.

This activity provided insight into the primary tasks required of doctors and nurses, while also learning about some of the more intricate parts of medicine.

Along with suturing, I also practiced making plaster casts and other medical procedures. All of these activities helped prepare me for a career in medicine and strengthened my interest in the field.