Senior Profile: Neil Bhatt ’14

The Rockefeller Center encourages its outgoing seniors to reflect on their experiences at Dartmouth as part of a series called Rocky and Me.

“I hope to use the skills I have gained through my internship in Rwanda [funded by Rocky] and through the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows Program to lead global health programs in the future… I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities Rocky has given me and I highly encourage you to get involved!”--Neil Bhatt '14

I chose to attend Dartmouth because I was looking for a place that would challenge me both inside and outside of the classroom. After Dartmouth's admitted students weekend, which was filled with engaging conversations, I knew that the diversity of perspectives and interests here made Dartmouth a great fit for me.

During my sophomore year, I was fortunate to receive internship funding from the Rockefeller Center’s Public Affairs and Public Policy Internships to travel to Rwanda to pursue my passion for global health. There I worked for the head of the Vaccine Preventable Diseases Division in the Rwandan Ministry of Health as a research assistant. This was an incredible opportunity because I not only learned about health care policy from those directly involved but also got to see immunization campaigns in action. I also was able to learn directly from Rwanda's Minister of Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho about leadership in global health.

During my senior year I was a Rockefeller Leadership Fellow. We participated in weekly workshops with leadership experts from politics, business and academia. This provided an excellent foundation in leadership that I will be able to apply throughout my life after Dartmouth. I gained skills in public speaking, negotiation and had the opportunity to interact with peers with very different interests than my own.

I hope to use the skills I have gained through my internship in Rwanda and through the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows Program to lead global health programs in the future. I will be attending Geisel Medical School here at Dartmouth next year to pursue a career in medicine. I am extremely grateful for all the opportunities Rocky has given me and I highly encourage you to get involved!

Neil Bhatt graduated from Wellesley High School in Wellesley, MA in 2010. He was president of his class and was awarded the Senior Cup for outstanding character, citizenship, scholarship, and extracurricular engagement by his peers. At Dartmouth, Neil is an anthropology major focusing on global health and a biology minor. He has served as Co-Director of the Dartmouth Coalition for Global Health and Social Equity and has worked as a global health programs intern at the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science. He received funding from the Rockefeller Center to work as a research assistant at the Ministry of Health of Rwanda. He also served the student director of the Nicaragua Cross-Cultural Education and Service Program, which carries out public health and development projects in Siuna, Nicaragua. He is currently a Rockefeller Leadership Fellow. After graduating, Neil will attend medical school at Geisel and pursue a career in global health.