Meet Trishna, NHC Chicago 2020-21 Member

Hi! My name is Trishna. I am serving as a Health Educator at Heartland Health Centers’ Wilson and Senn clinics. In May of 2020, I graduated from Wellesley College with a BA in psychology and biological sciences. Throughout my undergraduate career, I was able to serve within several community-based clinical settings. I am excited to participate in full-time service through NHC-Chicago. 

Serving the community of Chicago is a privilege and is especially personal for me. Being born and raised in a small town within the neighboring state of Wisconsin, frequent visits to Chicago meant a chance to experience life outside of a homogenous bubble. While I immersed myself within Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods, bustling restaurants, and world-renowned museums, I was also faced with the city’s challenging history. A city embedded in contrasts, Chicago offers a perspective of the systemic inequities that our country continues to reckon with today. I am thrilled to serve a city whose people and places have touched my life in so many ways. 

As a Health Educator, some of my responsibilities include: providing health coaching to Heartland patients, leading health education and outreach to Chicago Public School students, and supporting Heartland’s recent initiative to integrate primary and oral healthcare services. I have also been able to assist Heartland in its COVID-19 vaccination efforts. As I navigate my service term with NHC-Chicago, I continue to build on my curiosity, cultural humility, and awareness of the structural challenges within our healthcare system. I feel incredibly grateful to serve alongside my fellow NHC-members and engage closely with the Chicago community.