Justin Lima (left) and Kendall Buehl (right) enjoying the view on top of El Peñón de Guatapé (Photo courtesy K. Buehl)
By Kendall Buehl, GHI Staffer…This summer, Justin Lima and I had the opportunity to intern at GHI’s One Health Center in Medellín, Colombia, for two months. During this time, not only did we learn about the city and the culture, but also the importance of multidisciplinary connections and the One Health approach.
Before we dive in, let me introduce my intern buddy and myself. Justin plans to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW–Madison) in May 2027, with majors in Neurobiology and Chicanx/e Latinx/e, and a certificate in Global Health. After his undergraduate schooling, he plans to go to medical school to pursue his dream of being a heart surgeon. As for me, I will graduate from UW–Madison in May 2026, with majors in Communication Arts and Psychology, and certificates in Digital Studies and Global Health. I look forward to further exploring the connections between these areas as I plan my future in the communications field.
GHI One Health Center-Colombia (OHC-Colombia), also known as El Laboratorio Genómico One Health, is a collaboration between Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) and the UW–Madison Global Health Institute (GHI), with funding from Abbott Laboratories. Seeing as the lab has been thriving since it opened in 2018, we witnessed firsthand the benefits of global connections and were learning from day one.
To preface, in summer of 2023, I had the pleasure of writing a story about Brody Andes and Natalia Betancourt Rodriguez after they completed their two-month research internship at OHC-Colombia for GHI. Now, I am excited to share Justin’s One Health Center Research Internship story and to recount my own One Health Center Communications Internship experience.
For Justin, it started when his lab mentor, Jorge Osorio, professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine, encouraged him to apply.
“When Jorge told me about the internship opportunity, I was a little nervous at first, but I knew I had to go for it,” Justin shared. “It seemed like a great chance to gain more lab experience while also making a connection towards global health initiatives.”
For me, studying or interning abroad has always been a dream of mine. When I heard about this opportunity through GHI, I had to apply. Not only did it perfectly matched to my plans for the future, but it also allowed me to immerse myself in the Spanish language–another dream of mine.
As an undergraduate student at UW–Madison, I cannot stress enough how important it is to seize any and all opportunities to learn, grow, and explore different fields – even when it seems daunting at first. Because what makes UW–Madison and International Academic Programs (IAP) so special, are the opportunities for students of all backgrounds to make the most of their university experience and explore academic and professional programs around the world. We especially want to thank our Intern Abroad Advisor Kimberly Harn for her constant support before, during, and after our internship at OHC-Colombia. It was amazing to know we would keep in touch from Madison to Medellín.
Speaking of global connections, let’s take a moment to talk about the amazing team at OHC-Colombia.
From the moment we stepped foot in the lab, we were welcomed with open arms. Lab members are incredibly smart, accomplished, and welcoming – they made it clear we could always reach out to them for support, no matter what.
“Not once did I feel uncomfortable or intimidated by the team,” Justin explains. “Any question I asked was given plenty of thought and answered so I could understand and learn in the moment.”
As the research intern, Justin wrote an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) procedure for the lab, as well as gained experience with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) procedures, cell extractions, and genome sequencing.
As the communications intern, I was tasked with creating a website for the lab, which included crafting a page of the team’s headshots and bio information. Thus, I set up interviews with everyone to learn more about their backgrounds. It ended up being one of the best things I could have done because it not only helped me practice my Spanish consistently, but also allowed me to learn more about the wonderful team at OHC-Colombia. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to meet every member of the team, and happy we can stay in touch.
Genuinely, one of my favorite parts of each day was getting to hear everyone’s stories and seeing how this multidisciplinary team came to be. Forming these connections and being able to promote the work of OHC-Colombia made for an incredible two months in Medellín, making it an experience I will never forget.
In addition to crafting the website and interviewing the team, I managed their social media accounts (including LinkedIn, Instagram, and X), created a newsletter, designed a brochure, recorded and edited several short-form videos (including this get-to-know-the-lab video), and took lots of photos along the way. I was lucky enough to have the creative freedom to follow through with my ideas while also meeting with my supervisors to collaborate and approve content. (Stay tuned for their website announcement soon!)
Another rewarding project I worked on was crafting the short videos for GHI’s YouTube Channel and social media accounts. In real time, we shared our experiences in the form of day-in-the-life vlogs and reflections on our time in Medellín. As part of ‘GHI Journeys: Global Health Thru a Student Lens,’ we had the opportunity to share a key part of our Global Health Undergraduate experience with fellow students. With those sneak peeks of amazing experiences, we hope we inspired future students to take the leap to study abroad.
From making new personal and professional connections, to improving my Spanish language skills, and exploring Medellín and its culture, I will always remember the importance of those two months in shaping my future.
“Over the course of two months, we had the pleasure of welcoming Kendall as a communications intern and Justin as a research intern in our laboratory,” said Diana Vergara, Executive Director and Gender Equality Director at OHC-Colombia. “From the very beginning, Kendall demonstrated a proactive attitude, a strong understanding of our scientific mission, and an impressive ability to translate our technical work into accessible and engaging content for diverse audiences. We are sincerely grateful for her contributions and wish her the very best in her professional journey.”
“During Justin’s stay, he actively engaged with a wide range of molecular biology and bioinformatics techniques, demonstrating remarkable curiosity, dedication, and a genuine passion for learning. We look forward to seeing how he continues to grow in his scientific journey,” said Laura Pérez, Scientific Coordinator at OHC-Colombia.
The feeling is mutual. Here, Justin reflects on his enriching experiences in the lab.
“This internship gave me professional hands-on experience in global health research while working alongside passionate scientists committed to addressing global health inequalities. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to public health,” Justin shares. “The experience has truly deepened my understanding of interdisciplinary research and the impact of health disparities in underserved communities around the globe. Overall, spending time in Medellín has left an everlasting impact on my life as it challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and allowed me to grow all aspects of my character. For that I am eternally grateful.”
We thank the UW–Madison Global Health Institute, UW–Madison’s International Academic Programs, and El Laboratorio Genómico One Health for the opportunity of a lifetime.
If you want to learn more about our internship experience or our plans for the future, email Justin Lima at jlima2@wisc.edu and me, Kendall Buehl, at kmbuehl@wisc.edu.
Please reach out to UW–Madison’s International Academic Programs if you are interested in learning more about academic opportunities available across the world.