olya.kislovskiy@tufts.edu
grant.gattuso@tufts.edu
Our Experience as MD/MPH Students in South India
Hello! We’re Grant Gattuso and Olya Kislovskiy, two MD/MPH students from the class of 2028. This summer, we spent time at Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, India, and we’d love to share what a typical day looked like for us.
We stayed at the International Hostel on the medical school campus, close to lecture halls, the dining hall, the library, and basketball and volleyball courts. The campus had a warm, welcoming feel with lots of trees and green space, and we met friends from all over the world – India (naturally), the UK, Australia, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Rwanda, and Switzerland.
Mornings often began at the canteen with friends over bullseyes (fried eggs), chai, coffee, and South Indian breakfasts like idly, pongal, or kitch di. From there, we caught the free CMC bus to our separate project sites.
Olya’s Project
I worked in the Endocrine unit, where patients with hormone-related illnesses are treated in both inpatient and outpatient settings. My project focused on developing patient education tools for diabetic foot prevention and care, including a brochure and a card in English, Tamil (the most prevalent local language), and Hindi. As I don’t speak Tamil or Hindi, I accomplished this with the help of many native speakers – both staff members and patients with medical backgrounds – going through many drafts to ensure the accuracy and clarity of the final products.
Outside the project, I shadowed the care team, where I quickly learned that patients travel great distances to receive care at CMC Vellore – from North India or even neighboring countries such as Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. The doctors were extremely efficient, seeing 50-60 patients a day. Through everything, the team was incredibly kind to me, and could always help with adjusting to everyday life in Vellore, whether this meant helping me navigate the public transit or recommending good places to eat. I met the most wonderful people at CMC Vellore, and I hope to return one day.
What struck me the most was how effectively their team implemented a multidisciplinary approach. When a patient is diagnosed with an endocrine condition (for example, type 2 diabetes mellitus), they are seen by the endocrinologist, undergo targeted exams of relevant organ systems (e.g. an ophthalmology exam), receive counseling on general management from the diabetes educators (similar to nurses in the USA, but with a greater focus on education in India), and meet with a dietitian for dietary guidance – all within just a few days and one or two dedicated endocrine clinic spaces. When necessary, a prosthetics team is also involved (e.g., for patients recovering from a diabetic foot-related amputation). I hope that in the near future, healthcare systems in the USA will become this straightforward for patients to navigate.
Grant’s Project
I worked in the Low Cost Effective Care Unit (LCECU) which gives high-quality care via outreach clinics, outpatient and inpatient services, a dental clinic, and a surgical suite to the 7 poorest neighborhoods in Vellore for reduced or free prices. In shadowing the outreach teams, social workers, and physicians, I loved how they brought healthcare directly to patients’ homes and communities. This allowed the physicians to be fully informed of the challenges patients face, like overcrowding, steep hills and steps for someone with a leg amputation (pictured), or the days when the community taps have water. I was struck by how well the physicians use their knowledge of patients’ resources, skills, and schedules to inform their treatments, ensuring high-quality, useful care.
For my projects, I developed health education pamphlets for relevant topics identified by the outreach teams. I also created alcohol learning modules for the alcohol group hosted by Pavan – a social worker at the LCECU. Pavan and I went through many drafts of these modules and held lengthy discussions on how we can increase engagement and retention in the groups. Alcohol use is a ubiquitous problem in the community, but few people come to the meetings. This taught me about the challenges of facilitating group sessions, and I’m excited that our work will further their recovery process even after my departure.
Best of all, I feel I formed lifelong friendships and relationships with the folks I worked with at the LCECU. I’m excited to stay in touch with them and return to CMC again throughout my career!
After our day of work, we had several options to get back to campus: free CMC buses during peak hours, a public bus for just 7 rupees (less than $0.10), or a personal auto rickshaw for about 150 rupees (around $1.70).
Evenings were some of our favorite times. We’d meet our many new friends for dinner – whether at the campus canteen, a local restaurant, or through a food delivery app (India’s DoorDash analog). There was never a dull moment on these nights, with adventures ranging from saree shopping and impromptu basketball games to attending a comedy show and exploring local cultural landmarks. During “Pegasus,” the week-long, campus-wide festival, we enjoyed new food vendors, a student dance-off, and sports games against other medical schools!
Weekend travels
Each weekend, we hopped on a taxi, bus, train, or plane to explore: from the bustling streets of Mumbai and the lush parks of Bengaluru to the beaches and temples of Chennai, the French Quarter of Pondicherry, the houseboats and canals of Alleppey (the “Venice of India”), the tea plantations of Munnar, and the scenic bridges and abundant wildlife of Sri Lanka. We traveled with our new international friends, exploring many parts of South India and enjoying the remarkably affordable and delicious food, transportation, and accommodations.
