EVMS Students to Complete Volunteer Rotation in the Philippines

NORFOLK, VA (01/26/2011)(readMedia)-- On a Physicians for Peace mission to the Philippines this month, three Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) students will provide support to volunteer healthcare professionals, conduct interviews and gather data for their own individual research projects on global health.

Kaitlin Porcaro, Jung Park and Heather Soloria are participating in the multi-specialty mission through a partnership between EVMS and Physicians for Peace, an international nonprofit headquartered in Norfolk, Va. The partnership gives qualified EVMS students the opportunity to participate in a mission during their fourth-year medical elective.

"I have been so impressed by the work of Physicians for Peace and the impact they have worldwide," said Porcaro. "I am excited to go on a mission and see in person what I have been hearing and reading about for the last four years. It will be a dream come true to participate on the mission and learn as much as I can from the volunteers and patients."

Porcaro is the recipient of the 2010 Dr. Charles E. Horton Senior Student Scholarship. Sponsored by the Montero Family Foundation, EVMS and Physicians for Peace, the award honors the founder of Physicians for Peace by offsetting the mission costs for an EVMS student who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to academics, volunteerism and global health.

On the mission, Physicians for Peace volunteers from the U.S. and the Philippines will provide medical and surgical services to under-served populations in the Philippines. The mission will also include amputee screenings, the distribution of donated medical supplies and equipment and continuing medical and paramedical education.

For the students, the mission is an opportunity to learn more about global health – and a chance to add a new dimension to their medical education, said both Park and Soloria.

"I hope to gain a better understanding of various aspects of international medicine," Park said. "Being outside of my comfort zone and having the opportunity to help others and learn about my profession in a new light will undoubtedly influence my education."

"Traveling to another country as part of a healthcare team will inform my cultural competency as a future physician," Soloria explained. "Working alongside practicing physicians who are volunteering their time to provide care is exemplary of the kind of physician I aspire to be."

After the mission, Porcaro, Park and Soloria will spend an additional two weeks at the Physicians for Peace headquarters in Norfolk. During that time, they will compile and present their research.

The students leave for the Philippines on Jan. 30 and return on Feb. 8. For more information on Physicians for Peace or to schedule an interview, please contact Mary Westbrook.

ABOUT PHYSICIANS FOR PEACE

Physicians for Peace is an international non-profit organization that mobilizes volunteer healthcare professionals to assist developing nations with unmet medical needs and scarce resources. Through effective, hands-on medical education and training, clinical care and donated medical supplies, Physicians for Peace develops long-term, sustainable, replicable, and evidence-based programs to help partner nations build medical capability and capacity to help themselves. Since 1989 Volunteers for the 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization have conducted medical missions in more than 60 countries. With its headquarters in Norfolk, Va., Physicians for Peace has programs in 22 countries and offices in Manila, the Philippines and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

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