Ameer Elbuluk ’13 entered Princeton with a passion for global health. In the fall of his freshman year at Princeton, he reached out to GHP Associate Director Kristina Graff for help establishing a Princeton chapter of the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC). Over the course of his first semester, the two were able to work with FIMRC and USG to organize a passionate group of people to run the Princeton chapter. Ameer would later travel to Costa Rica through the program, and he maintained a close relationship with Kristina Graff throughout his time at Princeton. One of his proudest moments at Princeton? “When I stepped down as president and saw a new executive board take over.” He says that watching the chapter grow and establish an identity on campus was incredible. Ameer brought his passion for global health and medicine to Princeton, and has followed this passion far beyond Princeton’s gates.
Ameer will enter his fourth year at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA this fall. “GHP gave me a really broad and diverse perspective of medicine before I had stepped into med school,” he says. “I’m so comfortable interacting with people from all socioeconomic statuses, all races, [and] all religions because of this global health experience.” This has proven a powerful perspective. The global health experience broadened his world view, which he believes will be extremely valuable in his work; physicians will care for people of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, and an understanding of other countries’ health systems can provide insights into the structure of our own. He hopes to spend some of his fourth year outside the US, immersing himself again in healthcare abroad. After graduating from UCLA, he plans to continue onto a surgical residency.
When asked what has stuck with him about the Global Health Program at Princeton, he highlighted the value of the GHP lecture series and the way that GHP mentors its students. “They really brought in some of the best and brightest to talk to us… I’ll never forget how inspiring those lectures were, and how fortunate we were to have such access to those people.” He also highlighted the multidisciplinary nature of GHP, emphasizing that class discussions, conversations with professors, and international study are great opportunities to engage with different perspectives and to go outside your comfort zone.
The dynamic, varied, and passionate world of GHP was the perfect niche for Ameer. In this niche, he advises students to be proactive in their learning. “Really expose yourself to all the opportunities that are offered to you,” he says; a diversity of experience is important and inspiration may present itself where you least expect it.
A 2013 graduate in economics, Ameer Elbuluk ‘13 enters his fourth year of medical school at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA this fall.