About Me
My name is Khushi Patel, and I am a junior at the University of South Carolina’s Honors College, planning to graduate in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. This ePortfolio explores my Graduation with Leadership Distinction in the research pathway.
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As a student at the University of South Carolina, I have had the opportunity to be a part of several major campus organizations, including the Clemson-Carolina Blood Drive, Phi Delta Epsilon international medical fraternity, and the Indian Cultural Organization. In addition to my involvement at the university, I regularly volunteer at the Good Samaritan Free Medical Clinic, where I facilitate administrative tasks and work alongside local healthcare providers.
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I started my journey at USC as a nursing major, hoping to pursue a medical degree. During my sophomore year, I changed my major to public health to focus solely on my future as a physician. Having started university as a nursing major, I was fortunate to secure an undergraduate research assistant (UGRA) position at the Advancing Chronic Care Outcomes through Research and Innovation (ACORN) Center at the College of Nursing. I began my position at the ACORN Center during the fall of my sophomore year and have continued working with them throughout my time at USC.
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The ACORN Center boasts a wide range of faculty from several departments. In the past three years, I have worked with many accomplished and inspiring mentors, including Dr. Cynthia Corbet, Dr. Robin Dawson, Dr. Phyllis Raynor, Dr. Pam Wright, and Ms. Elizabeth Combs. As a UGRA, I have been involved in numerous research projects across a broad range of topics that have elucidated the potential of technology in patient care. Pictured below are images of me presenting Early Healthcare Communication Skills Training in an Undergraduate Honors Laboratory Course at the 2022 College of Nursing Research & Scholarship Day and the 2022 Discover USC Day
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My duties at the ACORN Center have allowed me to engage in research at all stages of the process, from project conception to data collection and analysis, and dissemination. During the summer of 2022, I was even allowed to write and publish an entire manuscript. This manuscript was completed and submitted to the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) in December of that year.
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My projects at the ACORN Center include working in healthcare communication research, understanding COVID among uninsured populations, using virtual home assistants to help older adults age in place, and using digital platforms to promote social connectedness, to name a few. I started working in communication research under Dr. Robin Dawson and Dr. Phyllis Raynor during the summer of 2021. This experience inspired my senior thesis for the South Carolina Honors College entitled Understanding Mistrust in The Patient-Provider Relationships of South Carolina. The following pictures are from when I defended my thesis in the Spring of 2023
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This ePortfolio will walk you through various research experiences I’ve had while working at the ACORN Center and how I’ve been able to relate them to the material I’ve learned within the classroom. I will demonstrate how these experiences have shown me the power of perspective (Key Insight #1), the importance of experience over results (Key Insight 2), and the significance of communication (Key Insight #3).
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Upon graduation from the University of South Carolina, I plan to take a gap year before applying to medical school. During my gap year, I will continue to work at the ACORN Center as a researcher, and I plan to apply for a position as a medical scribe at the PRISMA hospital system in Columbia, SC. The experiences and key insights I have gathered during my time at USC will continue to impact my personal and professional career as I enter the next chapter of
Figure 1: Me presenting the Early Healthcare Communications study
Figure 2: Me defending my SCHC Senior Thesis in April 2023