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Medical Student
USF Morsani College of Medicine
Mehdi Rizk is a 3rd year medical student at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine with future career interests in surgery and global health. After completing his Bachelors in Science in Health Science with a minor in Chemistry at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Mehdi returned to his hometown to complete his medical degree in hopes of purusing a surgical career after graduation. He has special interests in Global Health interventions and outcomes, and has a plethora of experience in planning, conducting, and reviewing various global health mission trips; this includes participation and leadership within Project World Health, a student-run organization that fundraises thousands of dollars every year to conduct an annual medical mission trip in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic.
He also has extensive research experience with international colleagues, having spent the summer after his MS1 year in Dakar, Senegal, on a scholarship to work with the Pasteur Institute on an analysis of Dengue Fever infections in the region to develop predicitive methods for clinicians to better guage patient outcomes in low-resource areas.
Mehdi's impact is not only abroad, but right here in the Tampa Bay area, as he is heavily involved with various free clinics at USF including Bridge Clinic, Tampa Bay Street Medicine, Refugee Clinic, and the Red Crescent Clinic. He has also been a part of multiple fundraisers to help acquire and assemble hygiene kits for vulnerable populations in the area, and hopes to continue this volunteer work throughout his medical career.
In his free time, Mehdi enjoys connecting with old friends, watching and playing soccer, and has been an avid trumpet player since middle school.