Traveling the Globe

Date

February 14, 2019

Thirty-nine students, accompanied by several faculty members, traveled more than 24,000 miles during winter break to participate in experiential learning experiences that assisted people on multiple continents while enhancing their IHP education.

Students and Faculty in the Dominican Republic

Argentina (5,117 miles)

DPT students in the class of 2020 traveled to Cordoba, Argentina for a two-week trip for their capstone project. Andy Covino, Danielle Davila, Natalie Miano, and Carley Kaikkonen traveled with a group through Child and Family Health International (CFHI), a global health organization. Students were exposed to emergency clinics, internal medicine, intensive care units, and inpatient/outpatient physical therapy that included both observation and hands-on practice. During their free time, the students took classes including access to health to tango dancing and wine tasting and traveled to rural areas as well as other major cities. The interprofessional trip also allowed them to learn alongside and collaborate with students of various healthcare disciplines including medicine, nursing, physician assistant studies, and public health.

China (7,935 miles)

Faculty members John Wong (School of Nursing) and Emily Zeman (Department of Occupational Therapy) brought three Bachelor of Science in Nursing students - Jean Mancuso, Annapurna Ravel, and Mitchell Kimber, and three Doctor of Occupational Therapy students - Juliet Barriola (OTD) Sarah Manning (OTD), Jessica Broughton (OTD), in early January to Shenzhen, China, for a two-week independent study project at two local hospitals and several community health centers. In addition to learning about nursing care and rehabilitation treatments provided in China and the health policy of that region, team members experienced firsthand how traditional Chinese medicine is used in medical treatment and health maintenance.

Dominican Republic (1,591 miles)

A team of 10 nurse practitioner students and two faculty traveled to the Dominican Republic for a weeklong service trip in La Romana to provide health care services at the bateys, local communities established by sugar cane companies for workers to live close to the fields while having little access to health care or public services like running water or electricity. Students Irvin Hiralall, Sarah Warden, Louisa Centeno-Silva, Susan Granato, Sarah Franco, Lyndsay Canwell, Emily Diniz, Lauren McCue, Jen Pinto, and Emily Adams, along with SON faculty Pat Reidy and Sara Smoller, worked with a local health care team from the Good Samaritan Hospital, over 200 people received medical, dental and health education services. The IHP team traveled to a different batey each day and set up medical clinics to provide care to the many Haitians living in these communities, and helped another 200 people by providing education on the prevention of hypertension and oral rehydration and the importance of hand-washing and dental hygiene.

Guatemala (2,249 miles)

Ten DPT students in the class of 2020 traveled to Guatemala, accompanied by Assistant Professor Jane Baldwin, and 2018 graduates Anna Pietal and Brianda Prado (both of whom had gone in 2017). During the 10-day trip, the group partnered with the non-profit Move Together, Inc., which included cultural immersion activities, clinical care to patients providing in-services, and training at a new state hospital in Villa Neuva. The IHP students - Xavier Brito, Megan McKinney, Casey McVicar, Evan Kappler, Katie McKenna, Sidney Argueta, Katherine Lim, Ellyn Wertella, Elana Daglin, and Yassi Zarbafian - were challenged to provide care with limited resources, but used their creativity and ingenuity to develop ideas that provided outstanding results for patients.

India (7,136 miles)

Eight students from nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and speech-language pathology, accompanied by School of Nursing faculty Elissa Ladd and Pat Lussier-Duynstee, traveled to India to participate in the 2019 Global Health Immersion Program. Olivia Gampel, Colleen Reynolds, and Brianna Ryan (CSD), Brittany Harris, Valerie Kiers, Laura Mackey, Caitlin Shea (NP), and Shannon Swensen (PA) participated in clinical postings along with their Indian student counterparts in hospitals, village clinics, local schools, and community organizations. Faculty contributed to discipline-based initiatives and teaching in the areas of leadership, and evidence-based health care