Global Medicine at RVU

Basic Hygiene Products Donation

In preparation for the Global Medicine Track’s annual trip to Guatemala, Jeremy Stone, OMS IV, and his wife, Breaunna, organized a donation drive on Instagram, collecting 50 adult-sized toothbrushes; 50 travel-sized toothpastes; 116 lip balms; 44 children-sized toothbrush/toothpaste kits; 41 travel-sized lotions, 51 deodorants; and 72 bars of soap.

SD Stone and Breaunna have a long history of service in Guatemalan communities. "Jeremy lived in Guatemala for two years, serving as a missionary for our church," shared Breaunna. "We went back together as a couple and [were] determined to...contribute to the community in any way we could." Being able to return as part of the Global Medicine Track and serve Guatemalan communities was a dream come true for the Stones, whose first adopted daughter is of Guatemalan descent. "When I shared on Instagram that [Jeremy] would be returning, we had a flood of people wanting to be involved and [to] help gather supplies. We…[filled] a suitcase, and [though] it’s not much, we were just happy to be a part [of it.]"

Reading Glasses Donation

Like several students in the Global Medicine Track, Telyn Peterson, OMS IV, saw an opportunity to donate much-needed items— in this case, reading glasses—to communities in Guatemala during the Track’s annual outreach trip. Serving as the liaison for the Hands for Health Foundation (RVU’s global outreach partner), SD Peterson and classmate Zeke Richards, OMS II, partnered with Moran Eye Center and Tanner Clinic’s Ophthalmology Department (located in Salt Lake City and Layton, Utah, respectively) to secure 284 pairs of reading glasses. According to Hands for Health President and RVU's Chair of the Department of Tracks and Special Programs, Camille Z. Bentley, DO, MPH, FACOFP, the reading glasses will aid the "elderly, artisans, and others with varying levels of hyperopia and presbyopia."

"I’ve always been passionate about the global health opportunities associated with ophthalmology," said SD Peterson about the experience. "[Hands for Health and RVU] gave us the opportunity to walk the line between medicine and public health…[and] we were able to see how providing glasses to those with far-sightedness could improve their quality of life."

More than half of the reading glasses that were donated were collected during donation drives held at RVU-SU and were donated based on their prescription strength (which was as high as +3.25) or given "to Guatemalan optometry offices to be recycled into new prescriptions." The demand for reading glasses from the local community was so high that Hands for Health is seeking to expand their efforts and increase their donation for next year.

Family planning survey

Third-year students Mackenzie Ryan, Jordan McGee, and Macarena Basanes—in addition to Dr. Camille Bentley and Isain Zapata, PhD, Assistant Professor of Research and Statistics—conducted a short survey related to the understanding and use of family planning and contraception in the Masai women of Kajiado County, Kenya. The survey included questions about the Masai women’s definition of family planning, forms of contraception, and community perceptions of family planning and contraception. "The intention of the survey is to both add to the literature and to have a better understanding of the perceptions and need for family planning on future global medicine trips," said SD Ryan. Currently, the group is analyzing the data from the survey with an intent to publish their findings and present at future conferences.

Atrial Fibrillation Research

In January, Vickie Roettger, PhD, Associate Professor of Physiology, and a team of RVU faculty and students partnered with the nonprofit organization, Hands for Health Foundation, for a medical outreach trip to Southern Kenya. During the trip, Dr. Roettger, along with Drs. Bentley and Zapata, Rachael Zehnder, OMS II, and Morgan Zueger, OMS II, researched the prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in the Maasai people of Southern Kenya. They hope this research will provide more insights into AF in indigenous populations in general.

The team conducted their research at outdoor clinical sites with a tablet, a portable electrocardiogram, and a mobile hotspot. "Patients with suspected AF were referred to the hospital for a follow-up," said Dr. Roettger. Their research, entitled "Prevalence of Atrial Fibrillation and Its Correlation with Blood Pressure, Gender, and Age in an Indigenous Population Living in Kenya," is currently in the data analysis phase.

Feminine Hygiene Kit Donation

Kyla Graeser, OMSIII, and Savannah Rosenbaum, OMS III, organized a fundraiser to purchase feminine hygiene products for women in Kenya. They were assisted by Christine Njihia, a local volunteer who works with vulnerable children, orphans, and girls rescued from child marriages and female genital mutilation.

This year’s drive differed from past years in that, rather than collecting one-time use products in the United States and bringing them to Kenya, SDs Graeser and Rosenbaum created a GoFundMe that raised nearly $4,500 for the purchase of 800 reusable feminine hygiene kits. The kits, also known as Makini Pads, cost $5 each and were purchased from Kenya Works, a company that seeks to empower Kenyan women through multiple programs, including the Makini Pad Initiative.

Read more at RVUblog.com.

Student Experiences

"[Having] the opportunity to practice medicine in such a beautiful place – with views of Mt. Kilimanjaro and amazing animals – on our drive to work was one of the most incredible things for me. I felt so deeply rooted in the Earth and lucky that I was able to see a small slice of its beauty with my own eyes. It was truly breathtaking and made me want to do my best to protect [the] beauty that is left on this planet." – Anna Buck, OMS III

While in Kenya, Macarena Basanes, OMS III, found herself with a patient suffering from a suspected cranial injury, which had been caused by a cow kicking the young boy in the face, and there were little-to-no resources to treat him. "[We] did all we could—started an IV and treated his pain—[but we] then had to tie this tiny, suffering child to his father onto a motorbike to travel 70 kilometers to the nearest hospital in Tanzania. I still have not heard any news, but I [hope] that we were able to save [his] life." As for herself, SD Basanes learned that she is "good under extreme pressure. I was able to think critically, act fast, and give the best medical care I was capable of at the time."

"I am extremely happy that I did this trip and I will never forget the people I met, the connections that were made, and the memories that were created. This has definitely inspired me to go into global work in the future and [to be] a part of something that is more sustainable and serving for a community." – Dustin Nguyen, OMS III

For Alexandra Moody, OMS III, it was difficult to pick just one experience, but if she had to choose, one of the most memorable was her time spent in the remote Orbilli Camp. "While at Orbilli, I felt more immersed in the Maasai culture and land than I had already felt. [Our] host, Pastor Daniel, and other leaders of the village made us feel welcome." The leaders of the village arranged a safari and showed SD Moody and fellow classmates their Boma (a Maasai homestead) and cows. "We played instruments around the campfire and shared African and American songs," she added.