Lauren Barbush
I was a pre-med student, a teaching assistant, a healthcare volunteer and a hearing-loss researcher. And I could do it all because I’m a Bluejay. At Creighton, you learn to put your heart into action.
Biology, College of Arts and Sciences
When I took a tour of Creighton, I noticed right away how personal it felt. I knew I would be cared for and that those around me would help me out. As an underclassman, I wanted to get involved in research. I worried I wasn’t qualified, but I found a great opportunity. At Creighton’s Undergraduate Research Fair, I was encouraged to apply to work in the medical school’s Translational Hearing Center. My major in biology and knowledge of cell structure and function made hearing-loss research a good fit.
My studies were the perfect combination of science and caring for people. The translational aspect made it rewarding—we took our work beyond the research lab and into practical applications. Our findings had the potential to completely change the lives of people with hearing loss. I used science to fulfill my obligation to care for others.
I also volunteered for the ILAC (Institute for Latin American Concern) Summer Health Program. I worked in the Dominican Republic for three weeks as a member of an interdisciplinary Creighton healthcare team. We traveled to a rural community, called Aminilla, where we provided medical care to hundreds of patients. I ran the pharmacy for our clinic. It was an intensely fulfilling and enlightening experience that reaffirmed my passion for medicine.
I was also involved in Creighton’s Cortina Community, which uses service and examination of faith to help students connect a passion for justice with investigating Omaha’s social inequalities. My service site was Completely KIDS, an after-school program aiming to break the cycle of poverty.
