Sure medical students benefit from the clinical experience they get with Project World Health (PWH). After all, they spend an entire week in rural communities of the Dominican Republic with a team of physicians and nurses seeing patients from dawn to dusk.

But talk to any of them about their PWH work and you’re more likely to hear about the impact their visits have on those communities and how their time there gives local residents the basic patient care, health education and preventative medicine they might not otherwise receive.

“These communities are in dire need of healthcare,” said Sara Saporta, a second-year USF medical student and co-president of PWH. “We provide some of the basic resources that we take for granted here in the states. The enthusiasm these people have about receiving even the most basic of things, like toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap, is not just astounding, it’s illuminating.”

Project World Health Board
Back row: Sara Saporta (Co-President), Ty Jeske (Co-President), Jael Rodriguez (Fundraising), Patrick Carroll (Treasurer), Matt DiVeronica (Pharmacy Co-Chair)
Front row: Irene Hotalen (Fundraising Chair), Meghan NeSmith (Pharmacy Co-Chair)

Each year, USF students travel to the Jarabacoa region of the Dominican Republic. Returning the same region each year helps both the students and the communities since the established ties provide continuity of care for the patients and a sense of follow up for the students.

“Although the week is full of long, exhausting days of nonstop patient encounters, we gain skills that we bring back with us to school, to the clinics, to our future patients, and to these same people when we return the next year.”

The trips are only possible because of generous donations made by supporters and business partners, Saporta said. Last year’s effort meant more than $200,000 that allowed 50 individuals to travel to Jarabacoa, including attending physicians, residents, nurses, a dental hygienist and first- through fourth-year medical students. The team provided care to more than 2,500 residents. This year’s trip is set for April and fundraising is kicking into full gear, Saporta said.

New this year is business partnership with the Red Elephant Restaurant here in Tampa. On Feb. 23, the restaurant will donate 20 percent of the bill of anyone eating lunch or dinner there who mentions USF’s Project World Health.

In addition, the medical students host an annual fundraiser called the E-Ball, at which proceeds from live and silent auctions go to PWH. Although this event is typically for fellow medical students and faculty, donations to be auctioned off are always welcome, Saporta said.

Artist and third-year medical student Navid Eghbalieh donated his painting “Esperanza” to be auctioned at the PWH E-Ball, with proceeds going directly to PWH. The scene of this child in the Dominican Republic was taken by photographer Jennifer Browning and inspired Eghbalieh to put oil to canvas.

“Last year, some of the most successful items auctioned off were those of personal time and services, like a faculty member who sails offering an outing on his sailboat, or another faculty member who is a pilot offering a plane ride to Key West in his single-engine plane. The students also quickly bid on dinners with residents, since we love the extra time with physicians to learn more about the field of medicine.”

The group also accepts direct donations, which can best be made online and allows the donation to be deposited directly into the PWH account.

For more information about Project World Health, visit their web site or email Sara Saporta at ssaport1@health.usf.edu, Co-chair Ty Jeske at tjeske@health.usf.edu, or Fundraising Chair Irene Hotalen at ihotalen@health.usf.edu.

Story by Sarah Worth, USF Health Communications