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Sofia Khatoon
- Year
- Senior
- Major
- Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience
- Hometown
- South Barrington, IL
How have you benefited from the Gannon Scholars program?
Growing up, I struggled to find a place in which I felt like I indubitably belonged because of the range of identities I carry with me. This was a fear that accompanied me when I first started in the Gannon Scholars program but I could not be happier to report that it was quickly and irrevocably dispelled through my involvement in the program. Gannon has given me a strong community of friends and peers that I look forward to growing with. Gannon has already enabled me to speak up for what I believe in and voice my opinions, even if they are not yet mainstream, because I am surrounded by people that are willing to listen to my story.
What are you interested in researching? Why?
I discovered that I wanted to research hospitals and their procedures during my freshman year. After shadowing in a hospital this summer, I was gained insight into how most hospitals in communities with a lower socioeconomic background lack resources to allow their patient to achieve the best possible care, even if they are private and well-funded centers. Patients with higher socioeconomic backgrounds have lower mortality rates and better health outcomes in part because of their ability to advocate for themselves. It’s baffling to me how patients with lower socioeconomic backgrounds are not provided resources to better advocate for themselves, especially when small community lead efforts have shown that patient populations would be receptive to this type of an effort.
