How did you become involved with the WOH medical missions?
I first became involved in medical mission trips during my third-year of medical school. An internal medicine attending at our hospital program was looking to recruit medical students who could speak Spanish and were interested in medicine abroad, specifically with his foundation, Waves of Health, based out of the Dominican Republic. Over the years, due to the great experience and the amazing team members, I was involved in three medical missions.
Tell me about your experience.
As a team of doctors, nurses, EMTs, pharmacists, pharmacy techs, interpreters, and Red Cross volunteers, we go twice a year to the same location in the Dominican Republic. Personally, as a pediatrician in training, my role was to evaluate the children in the town ranging anywhere from infants to teenagers. I would perform well child checks and evaluate children with urgent medical needs.
What are some moments that stood out for you?
One specific experience that was rewarding was taking care of an infant that had been having significant gastrointestinal distress, was severely dehydrated, and who needed urgent medical attention. We were able to get an IV started and give fluids and antibiotics. The child improved with fluids and was transported to the closest hospital. In addition to preventative medicine, it is a rewarding experience to directly participate and treat a child in medical distress.
Jessica Andrade, DO '18
What were some of your big takeaways from the experience?
The big takeaways from the medical mission trips are first the importance of teamwork and second the connection with the community. Teamwork within an organization is key when taking care of large volumes of patients. Waves of Health have mastered the intricacies of assigning roles and workflow in order to effectively see and treat as many patients as possible. Second, connection with the community is a specific quality that Waves of Health has fostered as they go to the same area of the Dominican Republic twice a year, every year. This creates continuity with patients as well as established connections with the local governing bodies and local medical professionals, which are great to have as resources during these missions.
Why do you think medical missions are important? How would you recommend the experience to other alumni?
Medical missions are important as they bring to light different needs and medical goals of the communities you are working with. In resource-poor areas the benefit of medications, including multivitamins to children and diabetes medications to adults, can have a significant impact on the population’s health. Waves of Health is currently running a research study to see if by providing diabetes medication to the same group of individuals every 6 months, we can improve outcomes of the community. I highly recommend medical mission trips to any physician in training, especially if you are interested in global health and/or tropical medicine.