MEMO - Medical Mission
Summer 2017

"During undergrad, I was involved with a student-run, non-profit organization, Medical, Educational Missions and Outreach (M.E.M.O.). Every summer, M.E.M.O. organizes a medical mission to Vietnam, where we provide medical and educational aid to underserved villages. When I was given the opportunity to attend another medical mission this past summer (July 2017), it was something that I could not turn down. I had previously attended a medical mission in 2012 and it was one of the highlights during undergrad and influenced my journey towards medicine.

"On this trip, we set-up health clinics throughout Southern and Central Vietnam. Furthermore, from our fundraising efforts, we were able to sponsor over five congenital heart surgeries and about 100 scholarships to students in Long An to further their primary education. I also had the opportunity to rotate around the new University Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City, which was previously under construction when I last visited. Talking to the physicians, I was able to learn more about Vietnam’s current health system and their challenges. Childhood obesity, for instance, is a growing problem in Vietnam’s big cities, such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Because these cities have become more modernized in the past decade, there has been an influx of fast food chains and a shift in eating habits. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience. Being Vietnamese, I was able to learn more about my culture and the progress that Vietnam and its healthcare system has made in the past few years."

 
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