Making a Long-Term Impact on Global Communities
TESTIMONIALS
Here are some great stories about what's been going on!
Read about past medical trips, the visions of health care professionals, and thoughts on medical service work.
Aaron Tabor:
“This past December I partnered with the Salvation Army and traveled to Fond-des-Negres, Haiti where I volunteered at the Bethel Hospital and Bethany Children’s Home. For 10 days, I lived in an apartment above the hospital and spent each day working alongside Haitian doctors in the inpatient setting managing chronically ill patients. Overnight I was on-call in case of emergencies, and was often called down in the middle of the night to attend to patients injured in motor vehicle accidents. I also spent a day at the Bethany Children’s home, which houses kids who were either orphaned by the earthquake or dropped off by families not equipped to care for them; while there, I performed physical examinations for 36 children and was able to provide some education to the staff in caring for minor medical problems. I have been in discussion with the Mission Development Office of the Salvation Army and am hoping to develop continued opportunities for medical volunteering in their hospitals around the world. This is just one example of future possibilities. Currently, the focus has been on short-term medical mission trips, given the time constraints that exist in most people's schedules and being in school. In the future, the hope is that this would be a platform to develop long-term connections with established organizations to which we could send ongoing short-term mission trips as well as institute new opportunities (setting up clinics, starting hospitals, creating pharmacies) throughout the world. “
Marc Dadios:
“My name is Marc Dadios and I am a third year medical student at Rush Medical College. Since I’ve started my journey toward becoming a physician I have gone to the Philippines and to the Dominican Republic on medical mission trips. These trips have changed my life spiritually, emotionally, and have positively shaped the way I view medicine and healthcare. I went to the Philippines in 2010 and did a weeklong mission in Bohol, a small island south of Manila. Over the course of 1 week, a team of 70 doctors, pre-medical students, medical students, and nurses both local and abroad provided basic health and dental care to over 3000 patients who had little primary care. Although I felt overwhelmed, I felt that we were making a difference in the lives of the people living there. I went to the Dominican Republic in 2012 with a group of 15 medical students from Rush Medical College where we provided basic healthcare and support to the Hatians living in fourth world conditions in a third world country. Not only were the Hatians living in slums, they were constantly threatened by the possibility that they will be arrested by the Dominican government because they did not have proper paperwork proving their citizenship. During both my missions, I strongly felt that I was gaining much more than I was able to give to the people in terms of how amazing the experience was for me. I returned to America thanking God for the gift of just being an American and the benefits that we have compared to the majority of the world. I would love to freely give my services, talents, and passion to people living in the third world as often as possible but unfortunately as a medical student funds are limited because medical education and expenses are overwhelming. Regardless, I plan on going back to the Philippines this summer to participate in another mission trip even with the expenses because I feel a calling to do so.”
Jason Zimmermann:
“The time I have spent on medical mission trips has been extremely formative in my future career pursuits as well as my life as a Christian. These trips have given me a broader vision of how I want to practice medicine and how I want to be involved in international healthcare as a career. I have also been challenged in what it means to live a life of sacrifice, a life that takes the blessings I've been given and uses them to bless those around me. The missionaries I have worked with have been great examples and encouragements of what it looks like to live a life of service in this setting. None of this would have been possible without the generous donations from family, friends, and members of the church. I am extremely grateful for the generosity shown to me by those willing to support me through these pursuits.”
Joseph Lee:
“My name is Joseph Lee, 4th year medical student at Rush Medical College. I have participated in various medical missions trips stretching from the mountains in Japan to the plains of Rwanda to the jungles of Panama and the orphanages in Haiti. Why do I sacrifice my time and comforts to go on such arduous journeys? The answer is simple: because it helps better myself and the world I live in. There is no better way to serve others than to go where there is the greatest need, and in most countries of the world, the need is great. It was actually the trip to Panama that I took as a college freshman, which inspired me to becomes a doctor. Nevertheless, the experiences are often hindered by my ability to raise funds and actually make the trip, and any amount of support for others to be able to have such life changing experiences is a worthy and meaningful endeavor. I know first hand how difficult it is to get projects started and funded, as I created my own non-for-profit called the Road Less Traveled Fund. With that said, I am forever grateful to organizations and groups that have helped me and made my goal of helping others more tangible. I hope you can do the same for Aaron and his group of committed students!”
Sharon Gates, Senior Director,
Community Engagement and Multicultural Affairs for Rush University:
Christina Creel:
"My relationship with international medical missions began about a decade ago as nursing student traveling to Haiti. It continued to flourish throughout my career through several other Caribbean mission trips and has blossomed throughout my recent academic pursuit of becoming a physician. As a professional, upon returning from each of these trips, I consistently found motivation for both my practice and pursuit of knowledge within the United States, as well as a renewed desire to return overseas to work. As a medical student, I return from each trip rejuvenated and increasingly focused on my studies and acquisition of knowledge and understanding, so that I may in turn use this to bless and minister to others. There is nothing more fulfilling, both spiritually and personally, than being able to provide comfort and care for others in their moment of need. Practicing medicine internationally is increasingly gratifying in that you are not only providing the standard comfort, care and cure that we provide individuals in the United States; but, we are providing those in other countries with the basic needs, antibiotics, surgeries, vaccines and vitamins which are so prevalent to us within America, yet so lacking in other countries. Most importantly, we are able to provide for these physical needs while simultaneously ministering to and providing for the co-existing spiritual needs of our patients and their families. Without support from individuals, none of this would be possible, and for this I will be continually grateful."
“The experiences students have when they take mission trips around the world are absolutely impactful. They go there with a sincere heart to learn the needs of the people in their host country and impart to them any and all skills they’ve acquired since arriving at Rush Medical College. These experiences abroad translate to the student deciding if they want to do more when they return to the states. The desire to give of themselves to others is unstoppable. What students learn when they provide service abroad is how to connect with their patient culturally. In some cases the students return to school knowing more about populations who immigrated to the United States with illnesses that have been eradicated.”
Marc Dadios