Posted on December 09, 2014
Source: Alisa Bochnowski
Hi everyone, my name is Alisa Bochnowski. I am a student in the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Department at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I joined Generation Tomorrow because I wanted to use the skills I have learned to help people in my community.
My experience with the Baltimore City Health Department has been very informative. I feel like I have learned more during the past month than during some entire semesters. I have really enjoyed interacting with clients and being a helpful source of information and comfort. A lot of the people who I have met have shared their concerns and fears with me and helping them feel empowered about their choices is a really great feeling.
One thing that surprised me was that although most people are fairly informed about HIV and its transmission, very few are aware of hepatitis C and how it is transmitted. A lot of the people I test assume that if they never injected drugs, then they were never exposed to hepatitis C and they do not need to worry about it. I had a conversation about hepatitis C with my parents (who are both baby-boomers), and they, too, shared those sentiments. It was really interesting to see that certain perceptions persist no matter where you live or what your background is. This shows me that the education and outreach I am doing with Generation Tomorrow has a positive impact not only here in Baltimore but also home in Indiana.
