Olivia Vasey
With only one summer break during medical school, I knew that I wanted to spend my time pursuing a passion of mine, global health. After extensive research, I landed on a program in Xela, Guatemala, that is popular amongst Drexel College of Medicine students. Pop Wuj ended up being an incredible opportunity to not only learn more about the health care practices and cultural identity of Guatemala but also to enhance my clinical skills and Spanish fluency. Coming from a resource-limited rural community in Pennsylvania, one of my goals during medical school is to improve my ability to function in settings that lack extensive resources so that one day I can give back to communities like the one I grew up in. Working in Xela showed me what is possible with ingenuity and the help of the community. Running mostly through volunteer work and donations, the clinic is able to provide much-needed medical attention to community members who would not likely be able to afford care otherwise. Many patients utilized the clinic as a monthly primary care center, coming in for blood glucose checks, blood pressure checks, and medications. Others presented for more acute issues, like flu and infections.
Not only does Pop Wuj help create a healthier community through their clinic, but they also have a few programs that work to address health risks before they become a larger issue. One such program that I participated in was the Safe Stove Project. Many Guatemalan homes utilize open fires to cook their food. This can be dangerous in terms of burn risks, but it also increases the family’s risk of respiratory diseases due to smoke inhalation. The Safe Stove Project is a program run by Pop Wuj where students help construct stoves in the homes of low-income Guatemalan families. It was an enriching opportunity to go out into the community and interact with Guatemalan families while providing them with a safer alternative to an open fire.
A major component of the Pop Wuj program is Spanish lessons, which take place for four hours a day. I was lucky enough to have two fantastic teachers who tailored my learning to my goals in the medical field. Though I learned some Spanish in high school, my skills were still at the beginner level when arriving at Pop Wuj. However, by the time I left, I felt that I could comfortably take a patient’s history and even gave a ten-minute presentation on rabies in Spanish.
The opportunity to serve the people of Xela was mutually beneficial in that I was also able to further develop my clinical skills and Spanish language competency.
Olivia Vasey presented "Exploring Respiratory Disease in Guatemala: My Experiences with the Safe Stove Project at Pop Wuj" at Discovery Day 2023.
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