Anne Chau | Sanda Constantinidi | Huy Do | Keli Donnelly | Monica Kanal | David Kuwayama | Maria Michaels | Kim Nguyen | Nguyen Nguyen | Anna Thai | Jason Winkler
I like to learn about Public Health to understand the reality of health care disparities in rural areas and in developing countries. Coming from Vietnam, I understand the lack of resources in the healthcare system to meet the demand of the people. It is always my desire to come back there and do something to help the people. Being on this trip not only give me an opportunity to help patients in Viet Nam, but it also provide me a great way to meet new people.
I came to the U.S when I was 10 years old. My family and I encountered many difficulties because we did not understand the American culture and the language. It was a challenge to get through that period, and for me, I am glad that I went through those experiences because they made me realize the mind-set of those who are in need for help. This was one of the factors that contributed to my decision to become a physician. I went to University of Maryland, Baltimore County and chose languages and linguistics as my major because I wanted to learn more about cross-cultural communication. During my undergraduate education, I was involved with many activities which included being president for VSA, being a residential assistant, being orientation peer advisor, and involving with research. After graduation, I continued with my education at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine where I am current a 2nd year medical student. My involvement so far in medical school includes being co-coordinator of the Viet Nam Medical Assistance Program and co-chair for the Global Health Committee at my school. For my future goal, I want to pursue a combined residency program in both pediatrics and internal medicine.
A semester abroad in college taught me that the world is much larger than the small social circle that up until that time had held me and defined me. A visit to Viet Nam has the opportunity to once again enlarge my circle of family and help me to see medicine in a broader, social context. I'm currently a first year student at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and hope to pursue a career in family and sports medicine.
I moved to Philadelphia to obtain my Master's degree. My public health interests include infectious disease, occupational injury and disease, and community health and education. I am currently a first year medical student. I am pursuing a track in internal medicine, and I plan on doing preventive education with my patient populations to reduce the incidence of disease and injury.
Despite being born and raised outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but I spent most of my adult life living overseas and in various locations along the eastern seaboard of the United States. I am currently on a three year sabbatical from the general surgical residency program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. I spent the first year of the sabbatical working as a surgeon in rural Haiti for Paul Farmer's organization, Partners in Health. During the final two years, I am attending Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, where I hopes to learn more about the strategies that medical NGOs use to provide surgical services in infrastructure-poor environments.
My first medical mission to Haiti in 2001 opened my eyes to the extent of medical need in the third world. While coordinating this medical student-run effort, my teammates and I executed a successful mission through hard work and perseverance, but we all felt an organization which could guide us in coordinating such a mission would have been helpful.
After a bit of soul-searching, I took a leap of faith and decided to change my career path to starting an organization that focuses on helping medical students organize and execute medical missions. To give my nonprofit idea a better chance at succeeding, I am learning the business side of NGOs via a MBA in Nonprofit Management. I have also continued my interest in medical research through my current work as clinical research program manager in surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins. I look forward to learning more about the Vietnamese community we will be part of during this medical mission. I hope our team not only helps with the acute medical needs of the people of Khanh Hoa but that we also leave a lasting legacy through health education programs.
My family immigrated to the United States in the early 80's to Allentown, PA; the place where I was born and raised. I am currently a first-year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. I am currently interested in pediatrics, but I am also keeping an open mind until I am further exposed to other areas of medicine.
Name: Nguyen K. NguyenCurrent Education: Johns Hopkins Medical InstitutionsDegree Pursuing: Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular MedicineUndergraduate: University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyGraduation Date: June 2006Degree Obtained: B.S. in Biochemistry
I am currently a 2nd year graduate student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine pursing a Ph.D. degree with a focus on breast cancer research. Coming to the United States in 2001, my journey began with ESL classes at Montgomery College where I patiently worked toward my dream of being a person who will bring better healthcare to the people around me. Five year later, after graduating from UMBC in 2006, I decided to pursue a career in biomedical research which I believe will provide me with the opportunity to fulfill my dream of bringing better health to many people. Besides my focus on school work, I believe in community services and work toward promoting leadership and communication in the youth. Therefore, Huy and I co-coordinate the Viet Nam Medical Assistance Program (VNMAP) with the goals of providing medical assistance to the poor and the minorities in the rural areas of Viet Nam and creating a training and learning environment for the team members. We hope VNMAP's activities will help promote leadership and community service spirit among college and professional students.
I'm a first year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine who is interested in pediatric medicine. Over the years I have been actively involved with a variety of volunteer organizations in my local community. Some of my most recent activities include assisting technicians in the microbiology lab of Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, New York, providing free tutoring to students in biology and chemistry through Muhlenberg College's Peer Tutoring Service, and working this past summer with Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a Louisiana family left homeless in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Currently, I am volunteering in the Emergency Room of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia where I play games and do arts and crafts with patients from mostly poor families as they wait in triage.
Although my volunteer experiences have provided me with the opportunity to become well acquainted with many domestic issues (e.g., homelessness and poverty), I am less familiar with the details surrounding those issues present in other areas of the world, more specifically in developing nations. By volunteering in Vietnam this summer, I hope to gain a better understanding of these issues while providing relief and education to the local population.
Our Work