Andrew Pregnall — a dual degree major in microbiology and history and the 2019 Virginia Tech Undergraduate Student of the Year Award recipient — is dedicated to community service.
As part of a Fralin Undergraduate Research Fellowship, he made recommendations to improve experiences for LGBTQ patients at Schiffert Health Center, from including gender identity in patient nondiscrimination policies to creating a long-term plan for bringing gender-affirming hormone therapy to Schiffert. Pregnall later interned at Washington, D.C.’s Sibley Memorial Hospital, where he helped improve the hospital’s care for LGBTQ patients by adding pronouns to patient boards and bringing training to providers on transgender health and pre- or post-exposure prophylactic treatment for HIV.
From there, he interned with the Vanderbilt Program for LGBTQ Health, where he educated first-year medical and dental students on LGBTQ cultural competency and health disparities. “I want to change our nation’s policy environments, so that LGBTQ people no longer carry the burden of being second-class citizens,” he said.
A member of the Honors College set to graduate in December 2019, Pregnell plans to attend medical school, where he will pursue both a medical degree and a master’s degree in public health to work as an academic physician and a policy advocate.
For further reading on Andrew Pregnall, including his studies in history, visit Virginia Tech Publishing collaborates with class to publish book about the Beatles
