One of my favorite experiences during this study abroad session was the opportunity to visit the V&A museum in Dundee. If you’re not familiar, the V&A was the first design museum in Scotland and stands for the Victoria and Albert Museum, named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
We first visited the V&A for class our first week in Scotland (while we were in Dundee), but I first noticed the building while on our tour bus the first day because of the architecture of the building. When we went in, we talked about the design of the building itself, similar to the inside of a ship with a floor made of limestone that contained real fossils. Our class visited the V&A specifically for the Biomedical Engineering aspect and since we are taking a design class, the museum fit in perfectly with our curriculum.
Earlier in the week, we had a guest lecturer that talked about realistic healthcare and medicine, as well as Maggie Centers. We talked about how to design a healthcare system based on people and how we can improve the experiences and quality of services, both for patients and healthcare workers. The museum’s design section that we visited featured a model of one of the Maggie Centers, the design process behind it, and the future for these projects. They also had a free book reading section and I read a book on the importance of playgrounds and greenery in cities for children’s mental and physical health. Other exhibits featured sustainable and recyclable materials for building and city design and other design processes throughout the years in Scotland. These exhibits made me hopeful for the future of our cities and care design.
What stuck with me the most, from both our guest lecture and the V&A were the topic of realistic medicine, playground importance, and Maggie Centers. One of the reasons I applied for this study abroad is not because I am studying Biomedical Engineering, I am a public policy and environmental justice major (which is why I found the playground and sustainability fascinating) with a heavy interest in health policy, equity, environmental health, and access.
For my first year and a half at UNC, I avoided going into areas of my major that featured only health policy and insurance. My family has had quite a bit of experience with the American healthcare system and insurance since both of my parents had cancer. Healthcare was a sore subject for me but one that I kept falling back into with environmental justice/health and public health classes I took this past year. When I saw this program, I knew immediately that all of my classes and time at UNC led me to apply and I haven’t regretted it for a second.
Learning about the Scottish healthcare system and goals for the future has been a breath of fresh air for myself and has helped me realize where I want to focus my studies and look for in a career. The Maggie Centers in particular is something that I want to bring back home. It’s been four weeks since we have talked about these centers, but the class discussion and trip to the V&A have been a thought in the back of my head (and written on a lot of sticky notes). I am grateful that this program helped me learn about new aspects of healthcare systems and design, and while it may not be the typical route that many of our students will follow, this museum and experience is one that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.
Pictured Above: Me and the V&A and the book I strongly recommend reading
Pictured Above: The Maggie Center Model
Pictured Above: the limestone floor and window of the water inside