Today marked the highly anticipated Day 1 of Skills Day, an exciting experience where interns rotate through various foundational procedures practiced across the medical field. Because this week's cohort is twice the size of a standard session, the interns were split in half, alternating between a morning skills block and an afternoon block. Of all the medical techniques introduced, one remained universally recognized as the most vital for preserving human life: CPR. The high

When interns weren't in the labs mastering hands-on clinical techniques during Skills Day, they were deeply immersed in collaborative group work. The Medical & Public Health program is an intensive, one-week journey designed to teach interns how to recognize, diagnose, treat, and prevent four of the most widespread public health challenges in the region: malaria, typhoid, acute respiratory infections, and nutritional anemia. To tackle these issues effectively, each intern is

Interns started their day bright and early with a series of lectures talking about what they’ll be working on this week. Assistant Director Trisha Sakamuri walked interns through the workshop logistics and presentation guidelines, answering any questions that arose. Interns are split amongst themselves into the 4 disease groups, assigned either to Malaria, Nutritional Anemia, Typhoid, or Acute Respiratory Infections. Within the disease groups, there are three subtopics in whi

Medical Program Director, Student Counselor, and EMT Robin Purcell took a break from assisting with running the program to give interns an exciting, inside look into the world of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). She kicked things off by breaking down the various certification levels. She emphasized a crucial element, that they never work alone. Purcell also stressed that wherever these future health professionals choose to practice, they must understand how different enviro

The second week of Leadership Initiatives’ Medical & Public Health Program has just begun! Interns came from every corner of the country to Washington, D.C., dragging suitcases and carrying a mix of nervous energy and high expectations as they stepped onto campus for Day 1. Some had flown across time zones while others had endured long road trips, but all 190 of these aspiring medical and public health professionals shared the exact same destination. The first day was a whir

After the interns got settled in their rooms and met their roommates, they walked over to Gaston Hall for a welcome address by Executive Director Marshall Bailly. The interns then listened to a keynote from our Nigerian physician, Dr. Aisha, one of the three doctors leading this week's teaching sessions on the four major diseases the interns will master: malaria, typhoid fever, acute respiratory infections (ARIs), and nutritional anemia. In this presentation, Dr. Aisha introd