From Montana to Guatemala, Pharmacy Teams Engage in Medical Missions

Students, faculty, and staff from the Wegmans School of Pharmacy recently traveled to Montana and Guatemala to engage in medical missions.

For the first time, all of the School’s residents and fellows participated in the service trip. Residents Sara Farooqi and Kristen Slimmer traveled to Montana, while resident Riley Goho and public health fellow Martha Poe went to Guatemala.

“It was great to have the residents and fellow on these trips, as they serve as mentors to the pharmacy students, providing a layered learning experience,” said Dr. Christine Birnie, dean of the School.

Led by Dr. Mindy Lull, director of domestic programs and RCP Research for Global Volunteers and adjunct professor in the School of Pharmacy, the team in Montana spent 12 days on the Blackfeet Reservation. They helped to organize a community health fair, packed and delivered healthy food boxes, prepared and served meals, and cleaned a local cemetery alongside community members. This year’s trip marked the ninth year a pharmacy team has served on the reservation through Global Volunteers.

In June, the School sent an interdisciplinary team to Guatemala with Hope 4 Kids International. In addition to Goho and Poe, second-year students Kelly Jenkins and Sabrina Sarkis, and four undergraduate students including Ally Stellino, Sydney Hurlburt, Olivia Swierczcz, and Josiah Prosser, also traveled with the group. Stellino and Hurlburt are studying in the Wegmans School of Nursing, while Swierczcz and Prosser are both biochemistry majors.

While in Guatemala, the team helped run three medical clinics that served more than 300 patients. They also hosted children’s outreach activities, playing games and making crafts.

“This was a great trip because we had such a mix of disciplines in our group, which provided a lot of opportunities for informal interprofessional education,” said Dr. Amy Parkhill, associate professor in the School of Pharmacy, who led the team.

Stellino, who will graduate in the fall, said the trip offered her the opportunity to experience a new culture, meet new people, and try different foods.

"My favorite learning experience was when we got to see how a traditional Mayan meal is made, which included corn tortillas made 100 percent from scratch," she said. "I also learned a lot from the children that we were able to play with in Escuintla. Even with such poor living conditions these kids still had so much joy in their hearts. It was a very eye opening experience."

The trip also brought to life lessons she's learned in the classroom.

"We are always told that it is important to remember that there are many different cultures that have beliefs that may not be the same as ours, but it is crucial to treat every patient with compassion," she said.