Student Spotlight: Laila Andaloussi Serraj, MPH'24
In a recent discussion with Dartmouth, MPH candidate Laila Andaloussi Serraj reflects on her experience as a Dartmouth MPH student as a member of our accelerated residential program.
As a recent graduate from Drew University, earning her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Psychology, Laila is an aspiring physician who believes her public health education will allow her to approach her future career with a community health focus.
“I want to be able to take the knowledge I acquire at Dartmouth and make a change, not only for my patient but perhaps allowing them to make a change in their families and communities as well.”
The COVID-19 Pandemic sparked Laila’s interest in public health when she began working as a contact tracer at her undergraduate Health Services department.
Originally from Hackensack, New Jersey, Laila spent much of her childhood living in Morocco, where she first became interested in global health.
“Experiencing health care in the United States and Morocco opened my eyes to many disparities within our healthcare system. People often think there are drastic differences [in these healthcare systems], but in my experience, there are key similarities across different parts of the world.”
Ultimately, Laila aspires to do global health work and says that her Dartmouth Global Health course has been her favorite thus far. Co-taught by Rebecca E. Laird, MD, and Daniel R Lucey, MD, Dartmouth’s Global Health course focuses on principles and frameworks for the design of efficient and effective global health projects/programs to improve health outcomes, illuminated through analyzing real-world cases featuring resource-poor populations. The course and its projects are designed to help students develop universal skills and understandings that will assist them in being successful leaders for equity in #globalhealth.
Laila describes herself as family-oriented and says in her free time, she loves to bake.
“I am participating in The Greatest Baker baking competition right now, and things are starting to get heated! (No pun intended)” As a Dartmouth student, she resides near campus in Vermont. She describes Dartmouth as a tight-knit community: “Everyone has been super helpful and supportive.”
Written by Mia Pennekamp
Laila's baking competition submission!