Vidya Surti, a 2024 graduate of Pitt and recipient of a Global Health certificate, was recently honored on the Pittsburgh Business Times 30 Under 30 list. In this piece, she reflects on her time at Pitt, the experiences that shaped her passion for global health, and how they continue to influence her career. Read on to learn more about her journey!
Hello everyone! My name is Vidya Surti, and a recent alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh, and graduated Spring 2024! I currently work as a Laboratory Research Manager at Duquesne University’s Nanomedicine Manufacturing Lab. During my time at Pitt, I majored in Anthropology with minors in Chemistry and English Literature. Through this interdisciplinary academic path, I realized that I wanted to concentrate on communicating and understanding health and society within a global lens. In particular, as someone with a disability, I wanted to engage in a cosmopolitan analysis of public health strategies and solutions engaged towards those with chronic health conditions and disabilities. Therefore, I decided to tack on a certificate in Global Health through the UCIS Global Studies Center.
Coursework
This certificate involved engagement in critical and research based global coursework, such as the Digital Atlas Design Internship through the World History Center. Through this course, I examined local and global harm reduction strategies from youth opioid overdoses in Europe and Pittsburgh, formulating concrete solutions for local implementation within Pittsburgh. Along with this course, FR 0088: Ailing Bodies: Narratives in Health and Illness, taught by Dr. Kaliane Ung was a critical point within my undergraduate career. Through this class, I engaged in disability-related humanities research and healthcare comparisons of France and the United States.
Global Insights
Along with coursework, I engaged in activities related to global disability understanding and advocacy. In the summer after my freshman year, I worked with a nonprofit, created a platform for indigenous individuals with MSK pain in Latin American countries so that healthcare providers could improve cultural competency towards their patients. Furthermore, I continued within the vein of French and Francophone studies research. During my sophomore year, I presented at the 20th and 21st-Century French and Francophone Studies International Colloquium with research on French disability studies in literature. I further engaged with critical disabilities within the French and Francophone context through co-designing an extended FR 0088 course with Dr. Ung, with a disabilities studies module and course project led by a person with a disability, myself. In my junior year, I took part in the Global Health Case Competition, where I sought to solve a healthcare problem under pressure within a team setting, winning second place. During senior year, my acceptance into the Coelho Center Law Fellowship through the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation at Loyola Law School allowed me to engage in global fellowship with national and international fellows. This experience allowed me to integrate legal analysis into my understanding of local, state, and national disability rights.
Local Impact
Through my global engagement and insights, I was empowered to make a local impact in Pittsburgh. My first local foray into solution-based local advocacy was the Jewish Healthcare Fellowship’s Salk Health Activist Fellowship, which is based in Pittsburgh. Through this fellowship, I helped spearhead a project proposal for local resource navigation outreach platforms within Allegheny County and presented the project to the then-Health Director of Allegheny County. I was also a fellow at the JHF’s Patient Safety Fellowship, where me and a colleague co-created a novel intervention for augmented care for schizophrenic patients within the psychiatric ward. Furthermore, I also engaged in the Browne Leadership Fellowship through the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. Here, I was placed in Millvale to work directly with the community in the Millvale Community Library. Here, I worked on tending the garden, interfacing with immigrant families within the community, and managed the Summer Food Service Program through the Department of Agriculture. Finally, my research and community driven work prompted me to join nonprofits in the area to advocate for people with disabilities and accessibility, such as Radiant Hall, Queens Gambit, Life'sWork of Western PA, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District. I was also notably appointed to the City-County Task Force People with Disabilities, where I created the Secretary position within the task force.
Reflections
As I look back on my time at Pitt, I see how my interdisciplinary studies and global experiences shaped my passion for disability advocacy and health equity. Completing the Global Health Certificate allowed me to combine my passions in interdisciplinary ways that shaped both global and local paths for advocacy and change. In the future, I want to continue to work at the nexus of legal disability advocacy and medical innovation, striving toward a more inclusive and equitable global health landscape.