North America, Central America, & Caribbean
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Student Name: Craig Bleakney
Trip Dates: June 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012
Description: I went to Costa Rica for 5 weeks of language classes to learn Spanish. I had very limited prior knowledge of Spanish, and wanted to be able to speak to the Hispanic community and my future patients without barriers. I had class for about 30 hours a week, and lived with a family who spoke no English. I also shadowed a clinician in their office a few times a week and treated patients who would come in. Following Costa Rica, I traveled around Nicaragua for a bit before returning to Costa Rica to continue working in a clinic alongside a physician. I would certainly recommend the trip to other students.
Website: http://www.adventurespanishschool.com/
Costa Rica and Panama
Trip description: "For two weeks, we traveled with medical doctors in an effort to provide basic medical
care to 4 different communities in Costa Rica and Panama. The clinics were held in
either a local church or community center. Our duties consisted of obtaining vital
signs, acquiring a patient history, and conducting a physical exam. Translators were
with us the entire time to help us communicate. When our student-led team felt ready,
we presented our patient to one of the doctors, where a final diagnosis and treatment
plan was agreed upon. In addition to clinical work, we conducted community surveys
to assess the needs of the villages where we were serving and rotated in the pharmacy.
Previous medical experience is helpful, but not required. This is an excellent opportunity
for beginners"
Cheryl Dewitt, '07, Meghan and Ryan Dougherty, Summer 2007, 2 weeks
Program/Organization: International Service Learning
Website: www.islonline.org
Dominical and Turrialba, Costa Rica
Program/Organization: International Service Learning
Website: www.islonline.org
Trip description: Spanish classes in the morning, afternoon community service projects in clinics
or hospitals
Dawn Marie Borromeo, '03, Patricia Lee Scott, '03
February 2003, 1 month as M4 elective
Program/Organization: Adventure Education Center (AEC) Costa Rica
Rich Garrison, Director
Phone: (800) 237-2730
Website: www.adventurespanishschool.com
Dominical and Turrialba, Costa Rica
Trip description: Spanish classes in the morning, afternoon community service projects in clinics
or hospitals
Stephen Buckhold, '06
May-June 2003, 1 month of M1 summer
Program/Organization: Adventure Education Center (AEC) Costa Rica
Rich Garrison, Director
Phone: (800) 237-2730
Website: www.adventurespanishschool.com
Dominical and Turrialba
Trip description: Basic and medical Spanish in a classroom/beach setting, community health projects
Vanessa Hardin, '05, Brent Weiland, '05
July 2002, 4 weeks of M1 summer
Program/Organization: Institute for Spanish Language Studies
Email in Turrialba: aecdominical@racsa.co.cr
Email in Dominical: aecinfo2001@yahoo.com
Website: www.adventurespanishschool.com
Phone: (800) 765-0025 (ISLS)
San Jose
Trip description: Medical Spanish at the Rincon Chiquito Clinic - local clinical experience and house
calls
Aaron Allan Burchfield, '01
April-May 2001, 6 weeks of M4 elective
Program/Organization: Institute for Spanish Language Studies (ISLS)
Kierston Garrison, Director
Phone: (800) 765-0025
Cuba
Havana
Trip description: Preventive medicine/public health seminars, clinical experience
Shiraz Mounhiddin, '04
April 2004, 1 month as M4 elective
Program/Organization: National School of Public Health (Havana City)
Email: fernando@cenapem.sld.cu or rborroto@infomed.sld.cu
Phone: 79-5879, 57-6284 and 78-8800
Fax: (537) 55-1937
Havana
Trip description: Preventive medicine/public health seminars, clinical experience
Kelly MacMillan Rodney, '06
June-July 2003, 1 month of M1 summer
Program/Organization: National School of Public Health (Havana City)
Email: fernando@cenapem.sld.cu or rborroto@infomed.sld.cu
Phone: 79-5879, 57-6284 and 78-8800
Fax: (537) 55-1937
Havana
Trip description: Learn about the public health system, traditional medicine, maternal-infant health
care
Laura Ellen Griffith, '06
June-July 2003, 1 month of M1 summer
Program/Organization: MEDICC
National School of Public Health (Havana City)
Email: fernando@cenapem.sld.cu or rborroto@infomed.sld.cu
Phone: 79-5879, 57-6284 and 78-8800
Fax: (537) 55-1937
Havana
Trip description: Attending conference on international medicine, donating books to Latin American
medical schools
Wes Diddle, '04, Scott Carlson Polk, '04, Joe Dick Mobley, 05
March 2002, 2 weeks M2 spring break
Program/Organization: IHMEC
Dr. John W. McCall III, PhD. - Medical Anthropology
1301 Primacy Parkway
Memphis, TN 38119
Phone: (901) 685-1080
Havana
Trip description: Primary care in several Cuban villages, afternoon and evening house calls
Henry Coleman Herrod, '02
March-May 2002, 2 months as M4 elective
Program/Organization: MEDICC
Emory University School of Nursing Building
1520 Clifton Rd, Room 438
Atlanta, GA 30322-4027
Dominican Republic
Petionville, Haiti and the Dominican Republic
Trip description: Clinical and hospital experience with a team of health care providers
Allyson D. Schmitt, '05
March 2003, 1 week of M2 spring break
Program/Organization: Le Bon Samaritan
Dr. Mark Pinard, Directory
Le Bon Samaritan
15 Delmas/89
Petionville, Haiti
Email: hbsvol@aol.com
El Salvador
Chalchuapa
Trip description: Mission work and basic medical services
Luke Michael Webb, '02, Jason Logan, '02, Tom Collins, '02, Jonathan Glickstein, '02,
Jennifer Cox, '04, Adam Esbenshade, '04, Liz Longbotham, '04, Shannon Longshore, '04,
Rachael Smith, '04, Jennifer Anderson, '04, Clairalyn Baucem, '05, K.T. Park, '05,
Chris Shen, '05, Cathie Scarborough, '05, Josh Spencer, '05, Candy Cole, '04D, Jayson
Tabor, '04D, J.D. Selecman, '04D, Ivy Huggins, '04D, Adam Crow, '04D, Audrey McFadden,
'04D, Mary Beth Spivy, '04D, Cindy Blaylock, '04PT, Fleix Vazquez, Grad. Stud.
March 2002, 1 week of spring break
Program/Organization: CMDA and Global Health Organization
GHO
P.O. Box 7500
Bristol, TN 37621-7500
Email: gho@cmdahome.org
Guatemala
Quetzaltenango
Trip description: Assisting Mayan-Quiche Indian with women's health issues, promoting prevention,
medical Spanish
Jennifer Lynn Anderson, '04
August 2003, 3 weeks as M4 elective
Program/Organization: La Asociacion Pop Wuj
Shelley Peery, Directory
Pop Wuj
Palmera Calle, 17-72, Zona 1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Phone: (502) 761-8286
Quetzaltenango
Trip description: Spanish language school and social service projects
Jennifer Susan Hyer, '03
April-May 2003, 1 month as M4 elective
Program/Organization: La Asociacion Pop Wuj
Shelley Peery, Directory
Pop Wuj
Palmera Calle, 17-72, Zona 1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Phone: (502) 761-8286
Quetzaltenango
Trip description: learning medical Spanish, rural and urban health clinic
Lisa Buckingham, '06, Laura Ellen Griffith, '06, Sean Michael Lockwood, '06, Lauren
Frances Melcher, '06
May-July 2003, 1 month of M1 summer
Program/Organization: La Asociacion Pop Wuj
Shelley Peery, Directory
Pop Wuj
Palmera Calle, 17-72, Zona 1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Phone: (502) 761-8286
Antigua
Trip description: Spanish language school
Natasha Anudama Tejwani, '05
June-July 2002, 1 month of M1 summer
Program/Organization: AmeriSpan
GU: L-530
1325 NW 93 Ct. B-102
Miami, FL 33172
Email: info@amerispan.com
Phone: (502) 832-0164 or ext. 1692 or ext. 4864
Fax: (502) 832-1896
Guatemala City
Trip description: Ministry and clinical work
Laura Lynne Knight, '03, Leigh Ann Simpson, '03, March 2001, 1 week of M2 spring break
Program/Organization: CMDA and Global Health Outreach (GHO)
CMDA
P.O. Box 7500
Bristol, TN 37621
Honduras
Tegucigalpa
Trip description: Mission, medical work with orphans and prostitutes
M. David Boatright, '00, Jason Alton Logan, '02, March 2000
8 days of spring break
Program/Organization: CMDA
Ken Nippert, local director
Jamaica
Kingston
Trip description: "I was in Kingston for 2 weeks and spent a majority of the time playing with the
children in the community. We stayed in a small mountain village (population 200),
and during the day, we helped build a trench on the side of the road for rain run-off.
I also checked the blood pressure of most adults in the community by going house to
house."
Susan Sapp
Summer 2007, 2 weeks
Program/Organization: Global Volunteers
Website: www.globalvolunteers.org
Kingston
Trip description: Missionaries for the poor is an international Catholic Monastic Organization which aims to serve the poorest of the poorest. The organization was started in Kingston, Jamaica and now has centers all over the world. It is the brother version of Mother Teresa Charitable Trust. I was lucky enough to work at Kingston; the program there is very organized and they're used to having volunteers. Communication is great with the volunteer coordinator. The organization generally likes big groups, especially with medical training. Volunteers usually stay at the volunteer dorm and get meals. The only expense is transport to and from airport.
My experience was a bit different because I didn't stay at be volunteer dorm but staying at the dorm is the way to go. There are five centers each with different population of residents: kids, elder women, elder male, HIV residents. Groups of brothers are assigned to each center and go there daily to take care of the residents. I usually worked in a different center each day; I generally worked in the pharmacy with a brother; we would give out medications, clean wounds, and refill medications. I helped to feed the kids and some of the residents if they had difficulty in feeding. Every Thursday, I saw patients from the surrounding community at the free clinic at one of the centers, which was a wonderful experience. There would usually be other volunteers, some physicians, nurses, and other professionals. The volunteer coordinator was really nice and flexible. I was able to give a presentation to the brothers working in the clinic and pharmacies, go to a health fair, and even do an exercise class with some residents. We usually started each day with prayer and had prayer before lunch; prayer is an integral part of the day. All the brothers are very kind and hospitable. I had a wonderful experience and I highly recommend this organization.
Syeda Hamadani
Feb. 2012 as M4, 4 weeks
Program/Organization: Missionaries of the Poor
Website: missionariesofthepoor.org
Email: mopvisitors@missionariesofthepoor.org
Mexico
San Miguel
Student Name: Stefan Czestochowski
Trip Dates: June 7, 2012 to August 5, 2012
Med Spanish is a integrated learning experience combining training, service and language components. The first week was spent training as a first responder for the Mexican Red Cross. After training was completed schedules were created so that individuals could participate in daily Spanish classes focusing on medical Spanish. The afternoons were spent volunteering with the Red Cross responding to emergent calls or spent doing public health service projects around the city of San Miguel. I found the experience to be extremely rewarding and one that I will carry with me through my carrier in medicine. I would recommend this project for anyone interested in medical Spanish or volunteer work in Latin America.
Website: http://www.pace-medspanish.org/
Contact: info@pace-medspanish.org
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico Program
Trip description: Three weeks of one-on-one Spanish lessons that were pretty well tailored to the
student's needs for half a day, and the other half day was spent in clinical positions
(Red Cross with the EMT's, the General Hospital emergency room, urgent care clinic,
surgery, and labor and delivery wing, as well as specialist clinics like ENT and OBGYN.)
A student's placement in a clinical position depends on how comfortable they are with
Spanish and how at ease they feel about asking doctors in the hospital if they can
shadow here or there. If you're a total beginner, you'll probably spend a good deal
of time hanging out with the super cool EMTs at the Red Cross and riding out really
fast in an ambulance to emergency calls when they happen
Julia McMillen
July-August 2007
Program Organization: MedSpanish Mexico
Phone: Sharon at (575) 799-3162
Email: info.medspanish@gmail.com
Website: www.medspanish.com
Ensenada
Trip Description: Learning medical Spanish, interviewing families, education on international health,
ER and clinical work
Kathryn Jean Hayes, '06
July-August 2003, 3 weeks of M1 summer
Program(s)/Organization(s): Centro de Estudies, Universidad de Xochicalco
Dr. J. Dennis Mull, Director
Avenida San Francisco
Numero 1139, Fraccionamiento Mission
P.O. Box 1377
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Email: hazel@hsc.usc.edu
Phone: (323) 442-1325
Fax: (323) 442-3070
Zacatecas
Trip Description: Jerri Ann and Johnny Rose, '03
Fall 2002, 1 month as M4 elective
Program/Organization: Zacatecas, Mexico Trip with Dr. Freddie Martin
Dr. Freddie Martin, Director
Tila Chiapas
Trip description: Medical, surgical, dental projects. Hospital work
Michael A. Falluco, '05
July 2002, 1 week of M1 summer
Program/Organization: IMA
Phone: (888) 698-9042
Ensenada
Trip description: Medical Spanish in a classroom and clinical setting
Maryanna Lee Barrett, '05, Sarah Jane Bryant, '05
July 2002, 3 weeks of M1 summer
Contact: Dr. Dennis Mull at University of Southern California
Email: hazel@usc.edu (secretary)
Website: www.medicalspanish.com
Guadalajara
Trip description: Pediatric hospital setting and community-based clinics, preventative medicine
Gustavo Lozada, '04, Benjamin Rushing Shellabarger, '04
June-July 2001, 1 month of M1 summer
Program/Organization: SALUD and AMSA at Universidad Autonomade Medicina de Guadalajara
Contact: Dr. McClary
Tijuana
Trip Description: Researched the HIV epidemic and risk factors in IVDU in Tijuana (including field
work and interviews), and worked in a wound care clinic.
Courtney O'Connor '22
Summer 2019
Program/Organization: Proyecto El Cuete
Nicaragua
Managua and San Carlos
Trip description: Clinical and missionary work in villages
Emily Graham, '00
February 2000, 1 week as M4 elective
Program/Organization: Volunteers in Medical Missions (VIMM)
Contact: Montogmery C. Joseph
P.O. Box 756
Seneca, S.C. 29649
United States
Rosebud, South Dakota
Trip description: Research on antibiotics and otitis media, clinical experience, education on pediatric
obesity
Deneta Howland, '03
May 2003, 1 month as M4 elective
Program/Organization: Rosebud Indian Health Service Hospital
Contact: Dr. Tim Ryschon
Soldier Creek Road
Rosebud, SD 57570
Phone: (605) 747-2231
Fax: (605) 747-2216
Oahu, Hawaii
Trip description: Working with underserved Native Hawaiian population, learning traditional Hawaiian
medicine
James Jungyup Choo, '04
March 2004, 1 month as M4 elective
Program/Organization: University of Hawaii at Manoa, Dept of Native
Hawaiian Health
Marjorie Mau, director
677 Ala Moana Boulevard, Suite 1016B
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 587-8570
Email: dnhh@hawaii.edu
Fax: (808) 587-8565