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For decades, UC Irvine School of Medicine students have traveled to underserved areas across the globe. These students have shared their knowledge with local medical providers, implemented biomedical technologies designed for challenging environments and conducted novel research. In 2018 alone, Team Tanzania screened more than 800 patients for cervical cancer; Team Panama conducted cardiovascular ultrasound research and assisted with ultrasound scans on pregnant patients; and Team Indonesia taught ultrasound to midwives and nursing students at a regional college. While gaining valuable field experience, participating students have become informed global citizens with expanded worldviews.
Transforming Healthcare and Wellness in India
Each team sent to India will include approximately five to eight UC Irvine School of Medicine students and at least one faculty adviser. They will collaborate with medical providers at PDU Medical College in Rajkot, India, which will serve as their base of clinical work. Two other hospitals in Rajkot – B. T. Savani Kidney Hospital's Saurashtra Kidney Research Institute, and A. V. Parekh Cancer Hospital, Kundaria Cancer Prevention Foundation, Division of Rajkot Cancer Society will also serve as locations for clinical work.
Our students will dedicate themselves to rectifying healthcare disparities in Rajkot and saving lives. After the teams arrive, clinicians at the hospitals will recommend specific projects that make the most of the students’ expertise. As part of their community service, UC Irvine medical students will visit the Kantaben Babubhai Bera Kanya Vidhalaya to discuss preventive care and careers in health-related fields.
Team India will also have opportunities to raise public awareness of best practices for preventing disease and promoting health.
In the last few years, India has made tremendous progress in many areas of medicine, such as cardiac bypass, organ transplant, bone marrow transplants and much more, yet the need to develop widespread preventive and educational programs remains high. Team India will tackle these vital issues and stand ready to serve the people of Rajkot. The impact of these trips has the potential to be long-lasting and mutually beneficial.
Training the Healthcare Leaders of Tomorrow
The trips to India will expose future physicians to scientific, social, economic and cultural challenges that will deepen their understanding of healthcare delivery and increase their sensitivity to healthcare disparities at home. These experiences may also inspire students to develop new technologies designed to improve health in resource-poor environments in the U.S. and throughout the world. Wherever they ultimately choose to practice medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine students will be enriched by their life-changing experiences in India.
Join Us
We invite you to invest in the Summer Travel Program so that UC Irvine School of Medicine students can continue to make a difference in underserved areas around the world. Your gift will fund the travel and lodging for the teams as well as planning for the excursions.
To show our appreciation of your generosity and foresight, we will acknowledge your gift in all major scholarly publications associated with the program you have funded and in a variety of UCI publications online and in print, including:
Additional benefits include:
Your generosity will help to transform healthcare and wellness in India. At the same time, participating medical students will have the opportunity to expand their horizons – and broaden their perspectives in ways that make them more effective providers wherever they practice.
Ways to Give
There are many ways to contribute to this program including making your gift online through the UCI Foundation Zotfunder platform. However, if you'd prefer to support the Summer Travel Program in other ways such as mailing a check, transferring appreciated stock or making a multi-year pledge to be fulfilled over time, please contact Kathleen Lago, director of development, at klago@hs.uci.edu or (949) 824-0130.
