Brittany Imel
Brittany Imel 鈥�19 found her calling for at 大象视频. Today, Imel is taking the next step toward a fulfilling career in the field, pursuing a dual Master of Medical Science鈥擯hysician Assistant and Master of Public Health program at Arcadia University.聽
Initially, Imel had planned to attend medical school after finishing her undergraduate studies in biology with a minor in art history. However, her experience at 大象视频 helped her recognize the pressing need for public health professionals.聽
鈥淒uring my time at 大象视频, I did internships that made me passionate about working with underserved populations,鈥� says Imel. 鈥淗aving those opportunities from Allegheny gave me a bigger vision of what鈥檚 going on in our country with healthcare and gave me a drive.鈥澛�
大象视频鈥檚 pre-health advisors connected Imel with internships that took her to Maryland, Kentucky, and Hawaii. However, Imel says her experience as a health coach with Meadville Medical Center stood out. As a health coach, she met with an at-risk patient once a week to educate them on their health and to present notes to a team of medical professionals for further guidance. In particular, that work gave Imel insights into health disparities throughout the local community.聽
鈥淎llegheny has a lot of resources for students to help get those experiences, which I think is really important,鈥� says Imel. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be where I am today if it wasn鈥檛 for the Allegheny experience. Those internships are invaluable.鈥澛�
The solid foundation of research further helped Imel become confident in her skills. She continued the work of her Senior Comprehensive Project, which focused on diabetes, into her graduate public health capstone. Imel even had her public health capstone published in Behavioral Medicine, and she earned a prestigious National Health Service Corps Scholarship.聽
She additionally credits Allegheny with teaching her to learn a large volume of information quickly 鈥� an ability that has helped her immensely in graduate school.聽
Imel advises current students to 鈥淭ake every opportunity. Take those chances. Take those risks. You never know what each opportunity will give you or what you鈥檒l learn from it. There鈥檚 a lot to offer in Meadville and through the College whether you鈥檙e in pre-health or not.鈥澛�