Life as a medical student comes with plenty of highs and lows. For Ben Arnold, a fourth-year medical student at UNC School of Medicine, the journey has been rewarding. Through countless hours in clinics, operating rooms, and hospital wards, he gained valuable skills and took pride in the care that he provided.
Still, something was missing. He had developed himself as a future physician but felt that he had not accomplished the goals that initially drew him to medicine. He aspired to use the education he received at UNC to share knowledge and resources with the hospitals and clinics around the world who stood to benefit the most from an international collaboration.
Throughout June, Arnold traveled to Zambia for a month-long elective with the UNC Global Women’s Health program. There, he collaborated on a research project, observed patient care at the University Teaching Hospital in the capital of Lusaka, and explored southern Africa.