DukeMed Engage Gives Medical Students Taste of Global Health

Suturing Cow Heart

Olayode Babatunde, Duke medical student, teaching Nigerian students how to suture cow hearts

Published December 15, 2015, last updated on June 3, 2020 under Education News

Until a few years ago, first- and second-year Duke medical students seeking to participate in structured, short-term community health projects had little institutional support to identify and pursue these opportunities. In 2013, medical students Mark Dakkak, Riikka Nomides (Hess) and Chris Fan, took the initiative to address this challenge by establishing the student organization DukeMed Engage (DME).    

With the support of the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI), Duke School of Medicine’s Davison Council and Chancellor’s Service Fund, DME connects Duke medical students with short-term health projects guided by community-based mentors, which can include Duke graduate students, faculty, medical providers and alumni.

DME projects, which typically take place during the summer, run the gamut from service to research to clinical work in domestic or international settings. Partial or full funding is provided by the program. All current medical students are eligible to apply, and applications are currently being accepted for the 2016 program. 

“DukeMed Engage outreach provides students a first-hand experience observing health disparities in the world,” noted Dennis Clements, senior advisor at DGHI and DME faculty leader. “It allows them to understand the situation some people live in so that solutions can be culturally sensitive.”

2015 Projects Spanned Clinical Care, Research and Education

This year’s three DME projects—ranging from Durham to Africa—reflect the wide breadth of opportunities available through the program.

Jerry Lee Helps “Complicated” Patients Navigate the Durham Health System

This spring, second-year medical student Jerry Lee helped launch a Durham, North Carolina pilot program—the “Home Base Initiative”—in which eight patients requiring a variety of services across the health system were each paired up with a Duke medical student. The students assisted their patient partner with scheduling appointments, transporting them to appointments, accompanying them during the doctor visits and helping them understand their treatment plans. They also helped the patients identify and incorporate health behavior changes such as smoking cessation or exercise. 

As a result of a successful pilot, the project—now dubbed the “Duke Hotspotting Initiative”—has since been integrated into one of the medical school courses for first-year students as one of two six-month community service options.

In addition to this positive outcome, one of the most rewarding aspects of the project for Lee was the relationship he developed with his patient partner. During the project, the patient was hospitalized for a month, and Lee visited him every day, advocating for him as needed; the two still keep in touch. 

Lee, whose advisor was Duke medical instructor Natasha Cunningham, said the project gave him a valuable opportunity to explore the prevention and social aspects of medicine as well as develop leadership skills required to advocate for patients and develop and direct programs. 

Temi Ajayi Promotes STEM Education in Lagos, Nigeria

This summer, second-year medical student Temi Ajayi returned to his home country, Nigeria, to help students from four secondary schools understand and develop an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Under the mentorship of associate professor of anesthesiology and DGHI affiliate faculty member Adeyemi Olufolabi, he engaged the students in activities such as case studies, seminars, a career fair and a coding event at which each student developed his or her own technical product. 

According to Ajayi, who conducted assessments before and after the project, the program significantly boosted the students’ interest in STEM careers and understanding of STEM career opportunities. He says plans are underway for a follow-up program next year. (To learn more about this initiative, visit the Grow with Nigeria website.)

This project inspired Ajayi because it gave him an opportunity to share the hands-on, participatory approach to learning that he discovered in the United States with students in his home country, who typically don’t have many opportunities to practice what they’re learning in school. In addition, he added, “My DukeMed Engage project really helped me see public health in broader context and increased my interest in global health as a field.” 

Faith Rialem Researches Pediatric Sepsis Management in Kenya

Second-year medical student Faith Rialem spent two weeks this summer working with Duke pulmonologist Peter Kussin administering surveys to healthcare providers at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya. These surveys were part of a study designed to understand how healthcare providers address sepsis in children and identify barriers to adequate care for pediatric septic patients.  

Rialem saw DME as an opportunity to start connecting with people in global health—an area of interest to her since college—and to begin preparing herself for a future career in global health. “It was a great chance to gain insight into what it takes to carry out research abroad,” she said. “And through this experience, I developed a stronger appreciation of the importance of research and scientific evidence in guiding clinical practices and improving the quality of care.”

Learn More

To learn more about or apply for the program, visit the DME website. The application deadline is February 7, 2016.

DukeMed Engage outreach provides students a first-hand experience observing health disparities in the world.

Dennis Clements, DukeMed Engage faculty leader

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