It was pretty much a tie between, Associated Student of Biomedical Engineering (ASBME) and Global Medical Brigades (GMB), but I am going to expand more on GMB because it is growing to be one of my most favorite activities of the year.
Here is a little background about GMB and the bigger organization known as Global Brigades:
Global Brigades is the world’s largest student led health developmental organization. Global Brigades sets up organizations at different universities and colleges all around the world. They focus not only on health development but also on general sustainable development. Global Medical Brigades focuses on healthcare specifically in the countries of Honduras, Panama and Ghana. They partner with each community and go there every 3 to 4 months where they treat hundreds of patients and volunteers from USC help deliver public health workshops. Between brigades, GMB focuses on maintaining relationships with communities, raising funds for the next trip, and gathering medicine for the trip.
My brigade is booked for this Winter Break where I will be going to Honduras for a week with fellow brigaders. I have never gone on this trip and wish I could speak more about this experience, though I will definitely write about it after my trip! Currently, we are preparing for the trip by gathering medicine. We ask pharmaceutical companies to donate basic medicines like aspirin. We get Clinical Training offered by the USC Keck School of Medicine. We also prepare by volunteering at clinics around the city. This gives us clinical experience which is vital when we go on the trip. The first two days of the trip , we will be working with Public Health Brigades who work on projects like setting up a water system, and laying out city foundations. We then switch gears and set up clinics where we help different doctors, including an OBGYN, Pediatrician, and a Dentist. We get to work with doctors of different specialization and interact with patients that attend the clinic. Because health care is so inaccessible to them, the attendance for these open clinics are overwhelming. Some families walk miles just to get a check up at this clinic. The people I am working with are so motivated and excited. Their energy is really what makes this all a great experience. I am so excited to be part of their team this Winter Break!
Here are some pictures of past brigades.
