13 minute read
Cover Story
1993
The first two students traveled to Pusan, Korea for a two-month medical mission elective.
75+
Students attended medical mission trips between 1993 and 2022.
9+
International mission locations including St. Lucia, Korea, Armenia, Peru, India, Kenya, Honduras, Rwanda, and Jamaica.
$2,000
The cost for the one-month rotation in Belize. The College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS) holistically educates students through interprofessional learning opportunities, a close-knit community, and accessible hands-on experiences. Graduating philanthropic healthcare providers who will love deeply and serve others with a Christ-like compassion is not a goal, it is the Campbell University mission. Students are afforded a unique opportunity to combine classroom content and the calling of service while gaining hands on experience in the form of medical mission trips.
In 1990, DR. JAMES A. BOYD, former associate dean of Administration, acted as an advisor for the newly established student charter Christian Pharmacy Fellowship International (CPFI). Students expressed a desire to explore medical missions, so Boyd began looking for short-term opportunities that combined classroom content, clinical experience, and a chance to share Christ with others.
Through interactions with a pastor in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina and the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board), Boyd met Charlie Sands, permanent missionary with the Board. Sands was serving in Pusan, Korea, at Wallace Baptist Memorial Hospital (WBM) as the pharmacy director. He also held a clinical faculty appointment with Samford University School of Pharmacy. Sands was excited about the prospect of WBM becoming a rotation site for Campbell students.
In 1993, the first two CPHS stu-
dents, SUSAN CARLISLE (‘93 PHARMD) and AMY THOMPSON JENKINS (’93 PHARMD), traveled to Pusan, Korea, for a two-month medical mission elective. According to Dr. Larry Swanson, former chair of the Campbell Department of Pharmacy Practice, “The experience would meld the new mandate for the pharmacy profession to take on a greater ‘caring’ role in drug therapy outcomes with the Christian mission of Campbell University.”
Jenkins acknowledges that her time in Korea was a life changing experience, and it still impacts her to this day. Her missionary hosts left the day after she arrived. She and Amy were on their own in a country of four million people, most of whom did not speak English.
“God’s faithfulness never fails, and each day He made provisions for us and put people in our path to help us. We made a 45 minute commute each way to the Baptist Hospital where we taught English to the physicians and set up aminoglycoside dosing for the ICU. Not only did we survive those two months, but we thrived all because God was with us. Depending on God daily for our needs and experiencing His unfailing love, mercy and grace helped my own faith grow enormously,” Jenkins shared.
“We have always told our three boys that God has a plan for their life and wherever He puts them that will be their mission field,” Jenkins added. So, when one of her sons,
WILLIAM JENKINS (’22 PHARMD), was afforded the opportunity to participate in a mission rotation and lead a vaccination clinic in Belize at the beginning of the year, he did not hesitate. “It was an incredible experience. We met so many amazing people, experienced a new culture, grew in our faith, and got to help a local clinic for a whole month,” William remarked.
Initial funding for travel was secured through pharmaceutical companies. CPFI also hosted fundraisers for student expenses. As company regulations became stricter and funding dwindled, Boyd began seeking connections through organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Blessing, CPFI International, World Medical Missions, Southern Baptist Mission Board, Catholic Mission Board, and others. Boyd also connected with the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board and was able to secure more clinics and hospitals as missions trip sites within the United States. Some of these sites were located in Washington, D.C., Alaska, and on the border of Texas and Mexico.
COREY FURMAN (’95 PHARMD) grew up surrounded by medical missions. In 1977, his surgeon uncles saw a need for an overseas medical mission organization. In collaboration with Franklin Graham, current president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse, World Medical Missions was born. Samaritan’s Purse relocated from California to North Carolina so the two organizations could more closely collaborate. Today, World Medical Missions is one of the primary ministry projects within Samaritan’s Purse.
As Furman began his P4 rotations in 1994, he requested one of his advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPE) be at a field hospital in Kenya. Campbell did not have an established rotation site in Kenya. Through Furman’s contacts at Samaritan’s Purse, new connections were formed and Campbell agreed to give rotation credit for the trip.
The Rwanda Genocide began in April 1994, prior to Furman’s arrival in July. Shortly after he arrived in Kenya, he was contacted by Samaritan’s Purse. The organization needed someone with pharmacy knowledge to serve in Rwanda. Campbell agreed to allow the location change and Furman went without hesitation.
In 1996, former CPHS Dean, RONALD W. MADDOX, asked Furman how he thought the College could improve. Furman suggested offering a one credit didactic medical mission elective to third year pharmacy students. This would keep mission opportunities relevant, consistent, and encourage participation. Maddox loved the idea and asked Furman when he could start as course director. Furman laughed at the thought until he realized Maddox was not joking.
For years, Furman led the initiative, coordinating speakers for the elective and working with the department of pharmacy practice to help establish rotation sites with a medical mission focus. As things continued to evolve, the elective was offered to second year students and CPHS began offering extracurricular mission opportunities to P4 students in the form of a tenth rotation. This ensured potential logistical hurdles surrounding mission travel would not keep students from graduating on time. While Furman initially established the course, Swanson, took over this role eight years ago.
Furman still sits on the Board of Directors for Samaritan’s Purse. He and
his wife, ASHLEY FURMAN (’96 PHARMD), have gone on many mission trips over the years. He shared that it has truly been a generational calling for his family to be the hands and feet to those who need it most. Furman believes working in medical missions allows individuals to see the world and our relationship to humanity through a different lens.
“It strengthens resolve and a desire to want to serve others and give to people who truly need help, both in the U.S. and overseas” he added. Ashley encouraged those considering medical missions by stating, “Do not hesitate! If God is calling you to go on a medical mission trip, pray. If He says go, rush in with arms wide open!”
Between 1993-2022, more than 75 students attended medical mission trips. Over the years students have traveled internationally to St. Lucia, Korea, Armenia, Peru, India, Kenya, Honduras, Rwanda, Jamaica, and more. More recently, the principal site used for P4 medical/pharmacy Christian mission rotations has been the Presbyterian Medical Clinic (PMC) in Patchakan, Belize.
This clinic is overseen by Mission to the World, a missions organization of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
AMBER RHYNE (’07 PHARMD) completed a rotation at PMC in 2006. While there, she met Esther Ruiz, a Belizean native who was the pharmacy technician for the clinic. After graduation, Rhyne completed a community pharmacy practice residency with Campbell in 2008. The following year, Rhyne believed that God had called her to Belize to serve for two years so that Ruiz could complete her pharmacy degree. After completing her coursework, Ruiz came back to the clinic to serve as the pharmacist, and Rhyne returned to the states.
Rhyne shared how humbling it was to see God at work in Belize. The clinic was able to provide physical, mental, and spiritual care for locals. She added, “While I served there, we had needs that would come up, anything from medications to personnel, and I saw many of those needs met through God’s provision and in His timing! I am thankful for the friendships I made and for how my time in Belize shaped the way I practice pharmacy today. I am grateful that God opened those doors and that others have been able, and continue to be able, to experience how God is working in Belize!”
Swanson has helped coordinate rotations through PMC for fifteen years. He decided a site visit was necessary to ensure the clinic could continue to meet Campbell’s needs and expectations. In 2021, Swanson, Dr. Gil Steiner, former CPHS pharmacy faculty member, and their wives traveled to Belize. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, everything was considered to be in order and final plans were made to send students back to the clinic. Five sets of two student teams rotated to the site for one-month rotations in the 2021-2022 academic year.
Student feedback on this rotation has been universally positive, especially regarding the opportunity to provide pharmaceutical care and share the love of Christ in an alternative culture. Swanson shared, “Belize is an attractive destination, especially for a first out-of-country trip of this nature. It is relatively proximate to the United States and the cost for the one-month rotation is under $2,000.”
When asked why he chose to participate in a medical mission rotation, recent 2022 pharmacy graduate Dr. Jonathan Gosnell shared, “I was raised and confirmed in the Presbyterian church. The trip to Belize was the perfect opportunity for me to combine my faith and my passion for pharmacy all while being able to help serve the local community in Patchakan.”
CPHS faculty and students have been able to provide clinical care to communities by lending equipment, medication, and training to clinics and physicians abroad. Students have met locals with an earnest desire to holistically enrich lives. There has been a common response amongst students that interacting with patients and locals is always the best part of these trips.
SARAH MCGRATH (’22 PHARMD/MSCR)
went to Belize in the fall of 2021. McGrath confirmed that the best part of working at PMC was the patients. “One of my highlights was getting to pray for an elderly patient with cancer who was facing the decision of a leg amputation. Participating in this elective was worth it alone just to meet him and his family and to be able to witness their incredible faith and joy despite difficult circumstances,” McGrath shared. Outreach opportunities have expanded as Campbell has grown. Partnership with the Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM) has allowed exploration of additional networking and service opportunities. The interprofessional collaboration amongst departments and students has provided a more holistic approach to treatment plans and care for individuals.
DR. VICTORIA KAPRIELIAN, associate dean for Faculty Development and Medical Education and program director, Master of Health Professions Education, is one of the charter CUSOM faculty. Kaprielian is Armenian, and despite the founding Dean telling her she should lead on a mission’s trip to Armenia, Kaprielian was skeptical, as she had never traveled past the Caribbean.
As she sat in her office one evening in 2013, her phone rang. The voice on the other end asked, “are you Armenian?” The caller went on to explain that Little River Baptist Association in Lillington, NC, had a ten-year connection with the Armenian Baptist Union. They wanted Kaprielian to join them on their next trip.
Kaprielian was baffled. “What are the odds there is an Armenian connection in Harnett County?” she questioned.
In 2015, she, along with one CUSOM student, joined the missionary team from Lillington on their trip to Armenia. The group focused on evangelism and medical outreach. The trip went so well that Kaprielian was asked to run the team the following year. She took four medical students in 2016, six in 2017, and in 2018 the first pharmacy student and the first pharmacy faculty member travelled to Armenia with the team. Two pharmacy students and one pharmacy faculty joined the team in 2019.
LINA POINDEXTER (’20 PHARMD) was the first student to participate in a five-week Global Health and Mission’s elective rotation to Armenia. Since the trip was only two weeks, Lina spent time researching and preparing on the front end, and completed a research project on the back end. Lina shared about her time with patients and how the most important component was connection. “One of the main gifts this trip has given me is a desire to truly connect with patients through effective and concise counseling of their medications.”
Going to Armenia has provided a fascinating cross-cultural experience. Kaprielian noted, “This was my first exposure to medical missions, and it was especially meaningful because it’s my ancestorial homeland! There were so many things I heard about growing up that I have now been able to see and experience first-hand.” As the College has continued to grow, so have medical mission opportunities for students from other CPHS programs. Doctor of Physical Therapy
(DPT) alumna BRITTANY SHEAGLEY (’16), participated in a multidisciplinary trip through NC Baptist Men to Honduras in 2015. She spent a week in a small, rural town in the Western side of the country. The team consisted of students from the DPT and PharmD programs, two local Honduran DPT clinicians, and professors from the medical school and the PharmD program.
Sheagley shared, “the main goal was to deliver medicine and vitamins to the area. Our PT pod was small, but we were given the opportunity to help educate on body mechanics, various stretching and strengthening exercises, and monitor vitals. It was the first year PT was included, so there was a bit of a learning curve and several opportunities to learn from the others in the group.”
Experiencing a new culture and interacting with locals were highlights of the trip for Sheagley. “It's not very often that we get to be immersed in a local culture that way, and that is something special in itself,” Sheagley commented. “I would absolutely go back. I would love to be included as a clinician on a future trip.”
CPHS Dean, Dr. Michael L. Adams, noted, “We strive to train students in a holistic manner through an interprofessional approach. Medical missions' trips afford students the opportunity to experience other cultures, share the love of Christ, and grow in their faith. Students can work alongside other healthcare professionals while gaining real life experience. Medical missions are one more opportunity we offer to prepare students for a lifetime of purposeful lives and meaningful service.”
Prior to becoming a student in Campbell’s Master of Physician Assistant Practice program, MELODY MOORE completed her Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences in 2020 through CUSOM. In 2018, during her first year in the MSBS program, she participated in a mission trip to Jamaica, where she helped provide medical, emotional, and spiritual care to residents. Moore shared, “In my opinion, the CUSOM mission department is anointed by God. Countless hearts and lives are touched. Our duty was more than just ‘medicine’.”
Moore discussed the kindness and love that permeated through Campbell missions and the unique approach to care. Patients did not just experience physical exams, but they participated in prayer stations as well. This trip provided an opportunity to offer medical assistance, but the desire of the students and administrators who attended was to minister to the hearts of locals.
CPHS seeks to educate and serve within rural communities, providing individuals with the tools, care, and access they need to lead healthier and more sustainable lives. The concept of medical missions has provided an opportunity for students to give back on an even broader scale; loving, teaching, and serving those in communities with fewer resources. The opportunity to participate in medical mission trips is one of the many things that sets Campbell apart, but having people who are willing to be the hands and feet of Christ is what makes Campbell truly unique.
