MIT Freshman Year Recap — IAP
MIT implements a unique Independent Activities Period or IAP during the month of January where students don’t have scheduled classes and instead have time to engage in a wider variety of learning opportunities, from research to internships to volunteering to optional classes.
Throughout the January 2023 (IAP term), I worked at Boston Medical Center (BMC) Autism Program in the Resources team, in addition to continuing my research. This internship was facilitated by the partnership of Boston Medical Center and the MIT Priscilla King Gray (PKG) Public Service Center.
The PKG Center aims to offer opportunities for MIT students to “explore and address complex social and environmental challenges.” Through the PKG’s IAP Health program, students investigate the healthcare ecosystem in Boston and support medical efforts by working with healthcare practitioners. Through implementing healthcare service projects with community partners such as BMC and engaging in reflections, the IAP cohort had the opportunity to implement projects and learned firsthand about the dynamics of the US healthcare system — including advances, challenges, and the intricate balance involved.
Boston Medical Center is located in the heart of Boston and yields a host of departments, specialties, and medical care that it can offer its patients. It is the principal teaching affiliate of the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and has facilitated a health system network.
As a public hospital, BMC serves underrepresented or low-socioeconomic populations, based on its locations and policies, and incorporates resources to ensure this mission is successful.
During IAP, I engaged with the Autism Program, which aims to assist and empower autistic individuals and families through personalized patient support, education, and outreach. Within the Autism Program and Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics subdivision, the resources group aims to provide guidance and support with navigating and using resources and therapeutic support for children and families. During IAP, I worked with my supervisor, Ms. Elizabeth Ferriero, and four other interns in the Resources Program.
Throughout this experience, I learned immensely about the healthcare network in Boston and the dynamics of the US healthcare system as I had opportunities to interact one-on-one with patients and develop resources to best support their individualized needs.
I wrote a blog post reflecting on my experiences, which was published on the MIT PKG Center website and is linked here
There was also an article published in MIT News about the 2023 PKG IAP Health program linked here and the article on the MIT PKG website.
