Many Radford students of healthcare-related fields acknowledge that their empathy, caring and compassion for their fellow human beings motivate them to enter healthcare.
That was certainly part of what motivated five Radford University students and one faculty member to travel to Cusco, Peru, in March 2024 for a service-learning trip. The Radford group was part of larger embedded teams that made the journey, including students from MEDLIFE chapters at other colleges and universities.
The students, who came from the physician assistant, nursing and biomedical science programs, are members of the MEDLIFE student organization of Radford University at Carilion (RUC) in Roanoke. MEDLIFE, the parent organization of the group, is a nonprofit that partners with low-income communities in Latin America and Africa to improve access to medicine, education and community development projects.
Over the course of nine days, the students, led by Brian Buccola, physician assistant program director of clinical education and academic advisor to MEDLIFE, saw 641 patients in Paru Paru—a community in Cusco near the Apus mountains of Pisaq. The students assisted with a variety of medical procedures, including OBGYN exams; dental treatments; collection of vital signs and medical histories during physical examinations; transportation of medication for a pharmacy team; and education about healthcare and general hygiene. While procedures like this may be routine in the United States, the patients seen during the trip rarely have access to these types of services.
“I loved interacting with students from other chapters who are also pursuing careers in medicine, as well as local clinicians,” said Lauren Luther ’24, a biomedical science student who graduated in May. “This trip brought me so much perspective on cultural differences and global healthcare, especially the need to advocate for access to medical care in underserved populations.”
Luther said that she was especially impressed with the MEDLIFE women’s health initiative, which aims to destigmatize reproductive health, provide high-quality patient education and reduce the high cervical cancer burden in Peru. She says her participation in the program confirmed her interest in eventually working in the area of women’s health as a physician assistant.
In addition to Luther, other Highlanders who made the trip included physician assistant students Mackenzie Tewksbury and Alyssa Woodward, biomedical science student Troy Stallard ’24 and nursing student Sofia Stallard.
