From 2013 through 2017, I joined a non-profit organization in Philadelphia that serves homeless populations locally and globally. It allowed me to participate in several medical mission trips to Africa. This experience opened my eyes to an often overlooked yet indispensable deficit in healthcare delivery: the lack of reliable diagnostic testing and laboratory facilities. Healthcare workers in the region provided care blindly.
A 2012 survey of 33 African countries found that all but two (Botswana and South Africa) had fewer than one pathologist for every 500,000 people, and many had fewer than one pathologist for every 1 million people. Based on my observations in the region, I decided to narrow my public health focus to laboratory medicine because I believe that pathology is the foundation of medicine.
Outreach
Future Goals:
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Spearheading the improvement of laboratory medicine in Africa and other parts of the world by developing a pathology laboratory to serve regional hospitals.
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Develop a six-month Histopathology certificate program to teach proper laboratory techniques in Africa and parts of the world.
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Bolster laboratory employment in Africa and other parts of the world by increasing job offers to students upon certificate program completion.
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Promote the use of drones to facilitate specimen collection and delivery in rural areas with limited access to big cities.