Last Two Weeks of Medical School in Costa Rica

Hola! Checking in again from San Jose, Costa Rica. Since I last wrote to you, I have worked in two different medical environments. I spent my 3rd week at Hospital San Rafael in Alajuela, Costa Rica. Alajuela is around 45 minutes from San Jose and much hotter than San Jose. I had the opportunity to … Continue reading Last Two Weeks of Medical School in Costa Rica

Border Health Rotation at Red Cross in Tijuana

The first two weeks of my border health rotation were spent at the Red Cross in Tijuana. According to the 2000 U.S. National Census, approximately 49 percent of residents living in a border town are Hispanic, mostly of Mexican origin. They mix with people of other ethnic groups throughout the border region, including non-Hispanic whites, … Continue reading Border Health Rotation at Red Cross in Tijuana

¡Buenos Días! from San Jose, Costa Rica!

¡Buenos Días! from San Jose, Costa Rica! My name is Jordan. I am a MS4 in the Global Health Academic Concentration (GHAC) at UC San Diego School of Medicine. I am so excited to tell you a little bit about my adventures in San Jose, Costa Rica. I am working in San Jose for 4 … Continue reading ¡Buenos Días! from San Jose, Costa Rica!

Found in translation

I was born in Guatemala and raised in Southern California. Growing up, I remember my mom always telling me, “En la casa hablamos Español, en la escuela puede habalr Ingles,” which translates to, “At home we speak Spanish, at school you can speak English.” In my early childhood, I remember struggling with both languages. There … Continue reading Found in translation

Mapping maputo

When I joined the GHAC program, I knew that I wanted to travel to Sub-Saharan Africa. I was eager to understand more about the region, and to have an opportunity to learn from physicians, fellow students, and patients there. Fortunately, I found a project working with American physicians Dr. Sierra Washington and Christy Zachek, and … Continue reading Mapping maputo

Endless days of summer

The city of Stockholm has a silence to it. Created by quiet streets frequented primarily by pedestrians, ancient buildings that seem to absorb sound into their storied bones, and a light breeze that ruffles the numerous green trees and carries excess sound away over the Baltic Sea. A peaceful place to call home, especially during … Continue reading Endless days of summer

A Study of Maternal Mortality  

I spent this summer studying maternal death at Hospital Central de Maputo. The project is centered around maternal death, with a particular focus on postpartum hemorrhaging (PPH) and the introduction of cryoprecipitate therapy at Hospital Central de Maputo (HCM) in Maputo, Mozambique. After working with Dr. Von Drygalsi and Michael Glazier to create data collection … Continue reading A Study of Maternal Mortality  

Ecuador research

The ESPINA project was established in 2008 with the aim of assessing the effects of pesticide exposure in the development of children living in agricultural settings.  Over the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of working with the team at the Cimas Foundation, helping with data collection for the 14-year follow-up of participants.  … Continue reading Ecuador research

Snake Bite

‘Snake bite’…‘electrocution…’ I read the board on the first day of my rotation in the Emergency Department (ED) at Dhulikhel Hospital in Dhulikhel, Nepal. During my time at Dhulikhel, I saw afflictions that I personally have not yet seen in America: epiglottitis, disseminated tinea corporis, prolapsed uterus with decubitus ulcers, many cases of pesticide poisoning, … Continue reading Snake Bite

Week 4 – Cardiología

Hola! I survived my final week of Costa Rican rotations in the interventional cardiology department at Hospital Calderón Guardia (where I previously rotated on hematology). Despite having a bout with “la gripe”(the flu – but not COVID!) and missing two days of work, I was still able to spend three full days on the cardiology … Continue reading Week 4 – Cardiología