Cody Rutledge – 2015 Recipient M4 Student
Tell me about yourself and your current experience at the UIC College of Medicine
I am an Ohio transplant in Chicago and am currently enrolled in the MD/PhD program. I have been at UIC for just shy of 7 years, and I am proud of the wealth of experiences I have had during that time. In particular, I am proud the social responsibility that UIC and University of Illinois Hospital embrace when caring for patients. I was drawn to UIC by the breadth of research available, and have had the opportunity to work in fascinating laboratories focusing on cardiac pathology.
How did you decide to go into the field of Medicine?
I have wanted to become a doctor for as long as I can remember. I enjoy the challenge and rigor inherent to the field and am proud to be surrounded by peers who are motivated and capable. As I have grown and experienced the field, I believe that one of my favorite aspects of medicine is that a physician’s personal success is directly tied to the well-being of his or her patients. That is to say that the field of medicine is built on a concept that those who do the most good and help the most people ought to rise to the top, which is a concept that many professions do not embrace.
What inspired you to help others Globally?
The idea of getting involved in global health was planted in my head as a freshman in college upon reading Mountains beyond Mountains about Dr. Paul Farmer and his work in Haiti. That idea was put into action early in my medical career, as I was fortunate enough to work with a Chicago family physician named Dr. Chris Guerrero. Dr. Guerrero hosts UIC students in his practice through UIC’s Introduction to Patient Care program. He also has brought multiple UIC students to his hometown in the rural Philippines as part of a medical mission he has spearheaded for over 25 years. Dr. Guerrero involved me in his trip and allowed me witness first-hand the value of global health.
Why did you select this destination?
My goals with this trip were to become involved in an established and sustainable rural clinic and well as to immerse myself in a Spanish-speaking environment so that I may better help my Spanish-speaking patients back home. I have worked with drop-in and short-term global health trips before, and while they have been earnest and helpful to their communities, they can not offer the same type of impact that a permanent free clinic can in terms of managing chronic disease. The Pop Wuj clinic in Guatemala is well-established and socially conscious and is staffed by physicians, both local and international, throughout the year.
How did this experience from the Erickson Explorers Award impact your life/influence you?
This experience has taught me to be more conscious about social factors when managing disease. Often times in Guatemala, the established protocol of treating pathology is not the most responsible choice. The cost and availability of treatment, patient comprehension, and difficulty with follow-up and continuity of care all play huge roles in deciding a patient’s treatment plan. Further, it has reinforced the importance of patience and diligence when working across a language barrier.
Laura Kwoh – 2015 Recipient
Tell me about yourself and your current experience at the UIC College of Medicine
I have had a fantastic experience at UIC thus far. I rotated here as a medical student and immediately noticed that the residents and faculty were a wonderful group of people who are inspiring to be around and have many different things to offer. I am fortunate I was able to continue to get to know the residents and faculty as a resident while being in a place like Chicago and in a residency program that has so many resources and opportunities, especially for residents with an interest in global health.
How did you decide to go into the field of Medicine?
My initial exposure to medicine occurred when I was young since my father is a physician and researcher, but I have always been very interested in dealing with challenges and working to give others opportunities. Medicine challenges me to synthesize a large amount of information, which in turn enables me to engage my patients in shared decision-making. I enjoy actively contributing to the world as a physician and global citizen. At times this may involve overcoming communication barriers before connecting with patients to address their concerns and allowing them to continue to function at their highest capacity.
What inspired you to help others Globally?
Being able to pass my skills and knowledge on to others of different cultures and gain from their experiences in return has been a focus of mine from an early age. Growing up in a multicultural family, I gained an appreciation of diversity through visits with my extended family and travel to different countries. Throughout my schooling and into college I maintained this interest and pursued opportunities of studying abroad and volunteering with underserved populations. I minored in Spanish, and my first trips were to places with Spanish-speaking populations, but on my more recent trips to Africa and Haiti, I have worked with populations for which I needed to develop creative ways to overcome language barriers.
As a result of these rewarding experiences, I have realized that during my medical career I would like to be involved with the international community in some capacity long-term, after completion of residency training.
Why did you select this destination?
In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, there is a general lack of community-level training pertaining to disaster risk reduction, specifically concerning the topic of first-aid. During my first two years of residency, I have had the opportunity to travel to Haiti with Dr. Lin and a group of MPH students and UIC medical staff conducting a Disaster Risk Reduction Training Program with community members. This training program focuses on multi-faceted disaster risk reduction and teaches participants causes of disasters, the importance of pre-disaster planning, and ways to map risks and assets in their communities.
How did this experience from the Erickson Explorers Award impact your life/influence you?
During my first year in Haiti, I worked with community members in Delmas, an area affected dramatically by the earthquake. This experience illustrated the importance of reaching out to the community to provide education concerning the importance of disease prevention and allocation of resources. I helped develop an initial pilot program of a first-aid module that provided education about basic topics to increase awareness and decrease risk. This past year we expanded the first aid training program to another community, so that these participants might further disseminate this knowledge in their area. I would like to continue to develop this relationship with communities in Haiti and hopefully expand the first aid training module into a sustainable first-aid training program for lay responders. These experiences have reinforced my desire to continue my involvement in volunteer community organizations with the overarching goal of improving global health.
Vinay Mikkilineni – 2015 Recipient
Tell me about yourself and your current experience at the UIC College of Medicine
Born and raised in Texas, I came to UIC secondary to the unique programs that it offered including a combined Internal Medicine/Emergency Medicine residency program, an integrated school of public health, an active global health center and involved faculty amongst whom I have found many friends and mentors. I am currently 3rd year in the combined residency program and a HPA student in the school of public health.
How did you decide to go into the field of Medicine?
My interest in medicine started with a simple curiosity and some fond memories of sitting in my mother’s internal medicine office after school. As I grew up a career in medicine naturally drew me in as it continued to challenge me while still bringing me a sense of joy and fulfillment.
What inspired you to help others Globally?
My first experiences working abroad were during medical school. While a sense of adventure initially took me abroad, there was an aspect helping those that didn’t have the tools or the support to get help that really drew me in. This was greater than any personal goals that I had, and has led to me to continue exploring the complexities of working abroad.
Why did you select this destination?
Sometimes the best stories aren’t planned. I could say the same for this destination. Working with faculty and recent graduates of the UIC school of public health from Haiti, I ended up starting work with trauma in the northern sector of Haiti.
How did this experience from the Erickson Explorers Award impact your life/influence you?
The Erikson Explorers Award allows me to begin navigate the complexities of global health, begin a project that will span years and explore a career.
Jude Registre – 2015 Recipient
Tell me about yourself and your current experience at the UIC College of Medicine.
I was born and grew up in Haiti. I came to the United State in 2002 to go to college. I chose UIC for medical school due to its strong commitment in caring for the underserved and tremendous opportunities for minorities. So far, I am glad of my decision, and very thankful for the mentorship and opportunity to grow both professionally and individually.
How did you decide to go into the field of Medicine?
At an early age, medicine has always attracted me. However, it is the opportunity to make a difference in one’s life and that has always been the strongest stimulant for me.
What inspired you to help others globally?
Being from humble backgrounds and having witnessed the different standards of the practice of medicine from one country to the next have greatly influenced my desire to be involved in global health.
Why did you select these destinations?
I am pretty familiar with the practice of medicine both here in the US and my home country Haiti. I wanted to witness the practice of medicine in a country with less financial resources than the US which could serve as a great learning opportunity and whose health care reforms could be studied and serve as an example that could be implemented in Haiti. Costa Rica, for instance, is an amazing country, which can serve as a great example for healthcare in a country with limited resources. In fact, the resources that we take for granted in developed countries like the USA may lack at times. However, their health standards are as advanced as most developed countries. I intend to study their healthcare system in depth and see how something similar can be applied to my home country.
How did this experience from the Erickson Explorers Award impact your life/influence you?
I am very thankful for the generosity of Dr. Erickson and his support to global health involvement at UIC. This award has made possible my travel to both Haiti and Costa Rica, which gave me the opportunity to establish some groundwork which I intend to continue in the years to come.