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National Team Rider
Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Blacksburg, VA
I was born and raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, a small town about an hour outside of New York City. I attended Williams College in northwestern Massachusetts, where I played lacrosse and spent time biking the back roads of the Berkshires. Not deciding until my junior year to pursue a career in medicine, I returned to Connecticut after graduation and spent two years completing post-bacc studies and working as an EMT. Medical school took me south to the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech, where I am currently a fourth year student planning for a career in Emergency Medicine.
My interest in world health stems from many past experiences, two of the most revealing and rewarding of those being mission trips. During my second year I took part in a trip to the Dominican Republic. I worked in multiple Bateyes (sugar workers’ towns), where our team provided care to nearly 100 people everyday, and also helped with the implementation of a tele-radiology study (clinic docs in the DR performing ultrasound exams and electronically sending the images to radiologists back in Virginia).
As a third year student I had the great privilege to spend a month working at a leprosy hospital just outside Kathmandu, Nepal. I helped with leprosy screening programs, saw inpatients daily, and volunteered where I could in other departments at the hospital. I was also able to spend time at a local orphanage providing health screenings to kids of all ages.
These two trips have helped me recognize how great the need is for basic medical care in much of the world. I have come to appreciate how far a small amount of money can go with regards treatment in such countries, and I have come to realize how little most Americans know about international health – two points I look forward to addressing as a member of R4WH. I look forward to meeting everyone this spring! |
