Grace Lee '15

Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida

Major: Biochemistry

Extracurricular Involvement:

Rockbridge Area Health Center
Project Horizon
Honor Advocate Program
Nabors Service League

Off-Campus Experiences:

Shepherd internship in Camden, NJ
Spring term abroad in Nice, France

Why did you apply for the Johnson Opportunity Grant? I am really interested in a medical career in developing countries, and I saw this as an incredible opportunity to gain a better understanding of the challenges in third world medicine and experience the lifestyle that it involves.

How does your work under the grant apply to your studies at W&L? Throughout my time at W&L I have been taking classes in poverty and human capability, which involve philosophical discussions about healthcare and poverty in the U.S. and abroad. Having an academic background in health policy helped me clearly compare and contrast the healthcare system in Cameroon. My experience abroad also reinforced my passion to pursue studies in medicine.

What was the most unexpected aspect of your grant experience? I did not expect the incredible friendliness and welcome I received at the clinic--everyone was helpful and very excited to acclimate me to their culture.

Post-Graduation Plans: I am planning on taking a gap year to work in a health policy related field, then hopefully going to medical school.

Favorite Class: Poverty Capstone Seminar

Favorite Lexington Landmark: Devil's Marbleyard

What professor has inspired you? Dr. Beckley and Dr. Uffelman have been integral in my college experience, among many others.

Advice for prospective or first-year students? Take advantage of all the opportunities on and off campus! Try different things, and commit to something you are passionate about.

Around 5:30 a.m., I hear the roosters behind my window. By 6:30, I am well on my walk up the two kilometer path to St. Luke's Medical Centre. The view of Mount Cameroon greets me every morning as I perilously hop across the less muddy spots left from overnight rain. It is a theatre (operating room) day, so rounds start at 7 a.m.--though the Cameroonian way of time is flexible, to say the least. The scrub nurses and I transport and prep the first surgical patient for an osteosynthesis on a femoral fracture. This is an orthopedic surgery center, so many of the cases involve breaking bones and implanting metal braces.

Three hours, a couple repositioned bone ends, and a few screws later, we return the patient to the general ward for post-operative care. After a thorough cleaning of the OR, we repeat the process for the next two surgeries. We're lucky today--the power stayed on for the duration of the surgeries and there is enough water to clean the equipment afterwards. Without AC, reliable power or running water, the medical staff has learned to work through heat and exhaustion.

Sanitation is difficult with minimal supplies and facilities, but everyone cleans off and changes scrubs before moving to post-operative care. Here I work with two different nurses to clean and change wound dressings. Along with antiseptic and antibacterial solutions, there are some creative but unnerving solutions to a lack of supplies, such as sugar as an exfoliating agent for exposed tissue. The patients are in good spirits, though nervous for the upcoming pain, and we try to be as gentle as possible. "Ashiya," I apologize, throughout my wound dressings. This is the first word I learned in the local pidgin language; an expression of sympathy that conveys, "I feel for you."

After dressings, checking inventory and dispensing medications, I chat with patients sitting outside, enjoying the beautiful surroundings. The tropical plants are in full bloom, and there are plenty of colorful flittering birds enjoying them. This is one of my favorite parts of the day, hearing stories of patients' backgrounds and discussing future life goals.

At 5:30, it's time to head home. Since it is still light out, I stop by a local artist's shop to carve some coconut jewelry (my latest hobby). Once sufficiently blistered, I head back to the volunteer house with people from all across the world--Germany, Ukraine, Portugal, Austria and Japan. We swap stories and relax over a dinner of plantains as I realize how incredible this experience has been.

One of my intentions in coming to central Africa was to figure out if medicine in developing countries is something I am passionate about in practice, not just theory. Living through common struggles like rampant malaria, minimal sanitation and a lack of running water showed me a depth to the barriers of health care in the community. Yet in the midst of the challenges, I am finding that I would rather be here making an effort, than anywhere else.