“It was one of the most impressive buildings I’ve ever seen,” said Taveroni. “We got to see firsthand how Swedish public healthcare functions and spent the day with an attending oncologist.” 

They also visited SciLifeLab, a Swedish national center for large-scale research focused on drug development. 

“We learned about pharmacogenomics; this was the biomedical engineering side of the field that I hadn’t been exposed to, where I learned about drug development ahead of clinical trials,” she said. 

Taveroni’s class also traveled to Dublin, Ireland, for four days, where they compared the Irish and Swedish healthcare systems.

“We surveyed the Swedish and Irish public about how they feel about their healthcare systems and did a poster presentation on the results,” she said. 

They also visited Rotunda Hospital, a maternity hospital, where they learned about midwifery, and toured the Royal College of Surgeons, where she got a feel for medical school abroad. 

Taveroni sought out independent opportunities to dive into the culture of both countries by attending the Midsummer Festival—a Swedish Summer Solstice celebration, a Riverdance—a traditional Irish dance, a high tea experience, and visited Trinity College in Ireland. 

Following her study abroad, Taveroni embarked on a side trip to Norway with her father, who reconnected with a long-lost friend from childhood. 

“His first friend from childhood, growing up in Riverdale, New Jersey, was a Norwegian boy named Ulrick, and it was wonderful for them to see each other,” she said. “We saw where he lived now, had dinner with his family, and it was one of the best trips of our lives.” 

Her experiences abroad have fueled her passion for learning about other cultures and will make her a better physician assistant in the future. 

“My travels have made me flexible and adaptable,” she said. “It’s also improved my interpersonal communication skills, and I feel confident talking to people from all walks of life.”

With her senior year in full swing, Taveroni hopes to slow down just a little as she prepares to apply to PA schools.  

“I’ve maximized my UD experience by being a World Scholar, an EMT, an honors student, and a sorority member,” she said. “The MDD-Pre-PA major has been challenging, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”