Philip Papaioannou '17 interns with University of Chicago

A member of the Big Red baseball team, Philip Papaioannou ‘17, could be honing his skills on the field this summer. Instead, the math major from Morton Grove, Ill., is conducting research for the Hospitalist Project with the University of Chicago, Medicine.

This wasn’t part of Papaioannou ‘s life plan. Originally, he thought he would go into business or finance. An internship at a small investment firm changed that.

In a Chicago Tribune article, Papaioannou notes: “ ‘I didn’t like the business environment. It didn’t fit my personality. I wanted to do something where I could make a meaningful impact. I took a risk and changed to the pre-med track and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.’”

Papaioannou is making up for lost ground this summer, taking two physics courses, delivering meals and volunteering weekend mornings at Habitat For Humanity ReStore Chicago.

And each week he works with patients and data for the Hospitalist Project, which gathers data to help determine the quality of care that patients receive.

According to the Tribune:
“ ‘We follow up with (patients) a month after their stay to see how they’re doing and what they thought of the whole process at the hospital,’ Papaioannou said. ‘It’s something doctors can use to review themselves, how they did, what things can be improved. It’s all about improving the quality of care at the hospital.’”