Briana Gonzalzez

Class of 2022

The Archer School for Girls

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.

Briana Gonzalez is a rising senior at the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles, Ca. She is extremely passionate about learning and giving back to her community and those surrounding her.

Outside of school, Briana enjoys playing instruments, listening to music, and playing softball. She has been a part of several clubs including the Athlete Leadership Council, the Film Festival Leadership Board, and Hermanas Unidas.

Briana is extremely excited to be participating in the Advanced Medical and Public Health Internship this year! She has always been passionate about the medical field and would like to become a surgeon in the future. Briana wants to learn more about Public Health efforts to see how she can eventually apply them to her practice to help those in need.

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 14 patients.

My Diagnosis

Jaafar Yau is a nine year old primary school student at Muazu Primary School. He lives with his parents in a small rented apartment at Zango Federal Low Cost Road in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Despite sleeping with a treated mosquito net every night, he began to display a headache and fever that prevented him from going to school and doing his daily activities.

Upon taking my patient’s history, I found that Jaafar presented with a fever, headache, general body weakness and pain, nausea, and vomiting. I requested a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) which came back positive allowing me to diagnose the patient with malaria. I prescribed Jaafar Artemether-Lumefantrine, which is an anti-malarial tablet and advised him to wear long sleeves, pants, and to sleep using an insecticide-treated mosquito net to prevent catching malaria again.

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

My Patient's

Diagnosis

I learned about four of the most pertinent diseases in the developing world from medical professionals including Dr. Aisha Garba, medical doctor and public health expert in Nigeria.

I developed cultural competencies and a global perspective to assess the structural and social determinants of health that underlie these diseases.

I had the unique opportunity to learn about and practice patient examination, evaluation, and diagnosis skills which contributed to the expansion of my preparedness for a future in the medical field.

As a group, we explored the historical, ethical, and cultural implications as well as the medical terminology and procedures pertaining to each of the 4 diseases.

I now have the skills to recognize, diagnose, and recommend both treatment and prevention methods for each of the four diseases.

I gained a better understanding of the signs and symptoms correlated with different stages and severities of Malaria, Typhoid Fever, Acute Respiratory Infection, and Nutritional Anemia.

My Public Health Campaign

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 to 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.

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 to 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.