My name is Andrea (Andi) Perloff. I am a current first year medical student at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.
Prior to attending medical school I served in the United States Peace Corps where I lived in Fiji for 27 months.
Going to the Dominican Republic was a special experience because I could finally use the skills I have learned in class and apply them in a clinical setting.
One patient that stuck out to me was Juan Carlos. He is a 2 month old baby I saw at the orphanage we visited on the first day of our trip. His mother brought him to the clinic because she hasn't been able to get him to the doctor for a proper wellness exam. She said he had "gripe" (a cold) for a couple weeks and it has not gone away. I performed a full physical and found that little Juan Carols had an ear infection along with swollen tonsils. Our team was able to get him medication along with children's vitamins.
Even though the baby’s mother didn’t have any complaints, I felt it would be a good idea to examine her because the baby was sick and mom had not been seen by a physician since giving birth. I discovered that she had an extremely infected tooth and our team was able to get her antibiotics. It was truly a rewarding day!
This experience has deepened my desire to practice medicine in a global setting and showed me the positive impact we can have on underserved communities.
Thank you to all who make these trips possible for students at KCU.
