Dr. Ruth Covell
After a long and impactful career in medicine, retiring as Associate Dean of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine is only one of Dr. Ruth Covell’s many lifetime achievements. Others include founding the Academic Geriatric Resource Center within the UCSD Health System, establishing The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UCSD, creating “Introduction to the Health Care System” course required of all UCSD medical students, and helping to found San Ysidro Health Center and Community Health Improvement Partners. Dr. Covell is an active board member for the Epilepsy Foundation, Project Concern International, and Mental Health America among others. She partially credits her transformative year in Vienna in 1955-56 for instilling in her the confidence to take on any initiative and talk to anyone, of any background, in any situation, a skill she has applied throughout her professional career and personal life. Sixty years after studying abroad, Ruth reflects on her decision to study in Vienna and see the world.
IES Abroad: How did you choose to study abroad in Vienna, and was it unusual for a woman to study abroad in 1955?
Ruth Covell: Going on the IES Abroad program was probably the most important decision I have ever made. It opened the world to me and gave me a "one up" in sophistication and self-confidence. It was unusual for anybody, not just women, to study abroad in 1955. It was a big deal to cross the country and take a ship to Europe. I didn’t know anybody else who was studying abroad, versus nowadays, when students are encouraged to take flight and have many options – with IES programs still among the best. I was very close to my grandfather – his favorite of 28 grandchildren. He traveled all the time, and planted the travel bug in me. So, when I saw an ad for IES Abroad in the Stanford Daily to study and travel in Europe for a year for less than it cost to be at Stanford, I thought, “Wow! Here’s my chance!” I was already studying German as a pre-med, so it all fit and sounded fantastic!
IES Abroad: What are one or two very special memories you hold from your time in Vienna?
RC: My best memories were of the friends I made. Many of my memories are related to it being a post-war era. Being in Vienna for the reopening of the Opera House after it had been destroyed in World War II was very special. The opening performance, Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, was broadcast into the street. All the streets leading toward the Opera House were packed with people listening for as far as you could see. The occupation of Vienna ended several weeks before we arrived, and virtually nothing in Vienna was rebuilt until after the occupation. The entire city was in a time warp. We saw a lot of bombed out buildings. The Amalienbad, Vienna’s public swimming pool, didn‘t have a roof while we were there. But it did have a wave pool where you could surf every hour and swimming substituted for taking a bath! The city was so poor and cold. It was difficult and expensive to get coal. This didn’t mean people weren’t having a good time. We frequented a little gasthaus in our neighborhood and chatted with one another and the locals and enjoyed life. We felt like we were part of the community.
IES Abroad: What were some of the challenges and opportunities that you faced while studying abroad and how did you make the most of them?
RC: I never thought of this as a challenge. In retrospect, I didn’t have much money but didn’t seem to inhibit me from doing anything. The biggest opportunity was being immersed in a different culture and being exposed to music and the arts in a way I hadn’t before. I was already a self-starter, from the age of two when I told my mother I would be a doctor. When I left for Vienna, my parents were living in the Philippines, and I hadn’t seen them in a year and a half. My sense of self-confidence increased while in Vienna when I was able to see what I could accomplish on my own. I saw that I could relate to other people with very different backgrounds, who were speaking a different language and had different customs, different historical backgrounds. I knew this was something I would do the rest of my life. I loved seeing how much the Austrians enjoyed life, despite the enormous adversity they had endured. The resiliency of this entire nation was quite remarkable after what they had been through in the war.
The extensive travel study trips were a kind of exposure to the world that I knew was out there, but it was quite different to actually experience that in person. And to this day, that is why I travel. I have visited over 80 countries. You take away something very different from being on the ground rather than reading about it or seeing it on CNN. I think every student should travel abroad somewhere and get out of their comfort zone.
IES Abroad: What skills that you developed during study abroad have you applied to your career in medicine and to your many avocations outside your professional career?
RC: The ability to be completely independent, to not be afraid of any situation, and to talk anybody. I worked regularly in the ER at the University of Chicago sub-interning my senior year. As a result, I met many of the gang members on the Southside of Chicago. I would not allow the police to be in the treatment room when I was suturing their wounds because I felt they aggravated the situation. It got to the point that some of these gang members would ask for me when they came to the ER. My name got known around the neighborhood, and I felt safer on the streets, which I’m sure was just folly on my part. I could deal with just about anybody, no doubt in part as a result of fending for myself for a year at IES.
IES Abroad: To what country or countries will you encourage your grandchildren to study abroad and why?
RC: Asia is very important, and I would recommend study abroad there to anyone. My grandchildren have already spent much time there, so I concentrate on introducing them to Europe and its history, literature, music, and art with some emphasis on Italy (and of course Ireland!). European culture is still very relevant to our own country. Understanding the roots of our civilization – European and indeed world history and geography is critical for an educated person and is brought to life and greatly enhanced by in depth travel. I’ve enjoyed all my travels, so it is hard to choose a favorite.