Perched on a stool, Jill Carline ’26 peered down at the patient undergoing breast surgery in front of her. As she watched the procedure take place, she gained a new appreciation for cancer treatment — something very personal to her, as her mom had ovarian cancer in April and became cancer-free in time for her to head to Italy. Donning surgical gloves and scrubs, she asked the English-speaking surgeons questions throughout the operation, fueling even more inquiries and a desire to learn more.

Carline, who was at the Instituto Oncologico Veneto in Padua, Italy, was one week into her two-week fellowship with the Doctors in Italy Fellowship Program. Over the course of 14 days, she spent 40 hours shadowing Massimo Ferrucci, MD, and Elisabetta Di Liso, MD, in one of the country’s leading comprehensive cancer centers. 

Carline discovered the Doctors in Italy Fellowship Program through Biological and Biomedical Sciences Senior Lecturer Stephanie Mott, who’d become Carline’s mentor for her “Women and Leadership Strategies for Success and Professional Development” course taught by Management Professor Lori Coakley, Ph.D. The fellowship’s mission is to empower students with immersive experiences in global health, to gain confidence, and to build connections across different cultures. 

Carline says she’s always wanted to travel abroad with the goal of experiencing other countries’ healthcare systems. Through the program, Carline shadowed medical personnel from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, observed clinical activities, gained firsthand insight into the multidisciplinary approach to oncology practiced at the hospital, and watched physicians and healthcare teams deliver patient-centered care.  

“You could stay in the hospital as long as you wanted, and the doctors are all open to teaching,” says Carline, who brought her own stethoscope and got to listen to her first set of lungs.  

The experience, she admits, came with a learning curve, from her mentors making Carline her first shot of espresso in the break room, or showing her MRIs and explaining the different courses of treatment. 

“Because of the language differences, some of the terminology was altered. For instance, we say CT for a CT scan, but they say TC. But then for them, CT is chemotherapy,” Carline says.

While immersing herself in a new culture was intimidating, the experience was made easier by having a program coordinator who picked up fellows at the airport and walked them to and from the hospital each day.  

“Jill truly embraced the program,” says Program Coordinator Su Arkham, who adds that Carline is “exceptionally bright” and threw herself into the rigors of the program, sharing what she learned from each shadowing session with her peers.

With her free time, Carline explored the city with two other program fellows and took weekend excursions to Venice, Murano, and Florence.

Returning to the United States after her fellowship, Carline has been working fulltime at Encompass Health Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital for people with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, hip fractures, strokes, and more. Patients go through four hours of therapy (including speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and others) every day for two weeks with the goal of returning home afterward. 

“I love watching people make milestones, like taking their first steps or graduating from a rolling walker to a cane,” says Carline, who is a rehab therapy technician. 

Carline — a Biology major with minors in Psychology, Chemistry, and Management — recently applied to physician assistant school after completing the required patient contact hours. When she’s not working or on campus studying, Carline serves as captain of the women’s Swimming and Diving team, vice president of the Catholic Student Association, and wellness coordinator for Bryant’s Student Athletic Advisory Council. Off campus, she recently became a college ambassador for Swim Across America, a non-profit that hosts charity swims to raise money and awareness for cancer research, prevention, and treatment. 

Looking back on her time in Italy, Carline notes that the experience reinforced how leading with compassion is paramount in healthcare. Recalling a moment when an Italian-speaking patient seemed nervous prior to surgery, Carline went over to her and held her hand.  

“She just calmed down,” Carline says. “Empathy transcends language barriers. You have to be empathetic to get a patient to trust you because being in a doctor's office or an operating room is probably the worst place in the world for them.”