From Iowa to Taiwan: Public Health Beyond the Classroom

What can studying public health abroad teach us about healthcare, migration, and the social factors that shape health? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren talks with Sarah Chen, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the University of Iowa College of Public Health who is also pursuing a certificate in human rights. Sarah spent eight weeks in Taiwan interning with Harmony Home Foundation Taiwan, an organization whose work includes supporting people living with HIV, migrant workers, undocumented individuals, and their children. During her internship, Sarah worked primarily with migrant families and children, developing English lessons, assisting with health education programming, and accompanying clients to clinics, hospitals, vaccination appointments, and other healthcare services. Sarah shares what it was like to work largely in Mandarin and navigate public health in a different cultural context. She also discusses her firsthand experience with Taiwan’s national health insurance system and some of the striking differences she observed between healthcare in Taiwan and the United States. The conversation also explores the challenges facing migrant workers, the relationship between citizenship and access to healthcare and social services, provider burnout, community advocacy, and the role that nonprofits and healthcare organizations can play in filling gaps in care. Finally, Sarah reflects on what she brought home from Taiwan and why international experiences can be particularly valuable for public health students. Her experience illustrates how concepts like social determinants of health, health equity, and cross-cultural communication can look very different when encountered in people’s everyday lives rather than discussed in a classroom A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-from-iowa-to-taiwan-public-health-beyond-the-classroom/ Have a question for our podcast crew or an idea for an episode? You can email them at CPH-GradAmbassador@uiowa.edu You can also support Plugged In To Public Health by sharing this episode and others with your friends, colleagues, and social networks. #publichealth #healthcare #migrants #humanrights #internship #studyabroad #healthequity #healthinsurance #nonprofit #iowacity