Shadowing Physicians in Italy

“My dream of becoming a physician has been an unshakable constant in my life,” says Miriam Farah, a biology student on the Long Island campus. “It is a calling that resonates deep within me, and there’s something profoundly empowering about knowing your purpose from such a young age.”

^{Biology student Miriam Farah (left) will apply to medical schools upon completing her bachelor’s degree. Maha Hussaini, also a biology student, looks forward to becoming a pediatrician.}

Fellow biology student Maha Hussaini also aspires to become a physician and hopes to specialize in pediatric care. First, she seeks to understand how the medical field works around the world.

To support their dreams of working in healthcare, the College of Arts and Sciences students are always looking for opportunities to expand their understanding of medicine. Under the recommendation of Teaching Assistant Professor Mena Youssef, Ph.D., their commitment to achieving their goal took them both to Italy for two weeks in June, where each shadowed hospital physicians with the Doctors in Italy Fellowship Program.

Created to expose undergraduate and graduate students to international healthcare environments, the fellowship promotes the growing need for future physicians to build cooperation and trust across different cultures. Traveling to cities including Ferrara, Florence, Venice, Rome, and Bologna, Farah and Hussaini were fully immersed in Italian culture and healthcare practices.

In Ferrara, the two worked in various departments at Arcispedale Sant’Anna, the largest and most renowned hospital in the region. The facility was ranked for its cardiology department—where Farah and Hussaini completed a rotation together—in Newsweek’s 2023 World’s Best Specialized Hospitals.

Farah shadowed two physicians who gave her unique insights into patient care and the intricacies of working in a highly specialized field. There, and at other medical facilities in the cities she visited, Farah participated in hospital rounds and witnessed surgeries and other medical procedures in specialties like emergency medicine, pediatrics, and oncology. As an eyewitness to the inner workings of healthcare facilities and the day-to-day routines of skilled physicians, Farah says the exposure to medical scenarios that she had only read or heard about was exhilarating and “bridged the gap between theoretical learning and clinical practice.”

Hussaini, too, shadowed a handful of Italian physicians at Arcispedale Sant’Anna, also known as Ospedale Cona. She recalls the attentiveness of the physicians, citing their dedication to teaching her what was happening at each moment and explaining every patient’s case in “enormous detail.” Hussaini had the opportunity to assist in electrocardiogram (EKG) and echocardiogram interpretations and learned how to gather information about strokes from computed tomography (CT) scans.

The students learned more than just the technical, though—Farah cites the trip as “personally transformative” and “pivotal” in shaping her medical journey. Through various observations, she was moved to develop new communication skills, reinforced her belief that medicine is about educating patients just as much as it is about caring for them, and has reconstructed her understanding of effective teamwork in healthcare.

“These doctors were so connected to their patients,” says Hussaini, who is always amazed to witness how medicine transcends cultures and conflicts. “Every doctor acknowledged that every staff member, at every level, is an important part of a well-functioning, healthy work environment.”

Back on campus, Hussaini has a newfound inspiration for her future career in medicine. Shadowing physicians while in Italy helped her narrow down the specialties she is interested in and exposed her to paths she hadn’t previously considered. For now, though, she has settled on pediatrics, hoping to treat children’s ailments and give them the tools to create healthy, balanced environments to grow up in.

Farah looks forward to earning her bachelor’s degree in December and applying to medical schools. Devoted to addressing healthcare disparities and promoting health equity, she hopes to secure a position working with rural, underserved communities where healthcare access is limited, specializing in preventative medicine with a strong emphasis on rehabilitation.