Final semester includes work at African leprosy hospital for graduating VCU medical students

By Michael Ford
University News Services

A quartet of Virginia Commonwealth University medical students rounded out their final semester of education at an African leprosy hospital, far from the lecture halls and modern labs of the VCU School of Medicine in Richmond.

As fourth-year medical students, they were able to take advantage of elective time to explore different aspects of medicine - and chose to spend two weeks at the St. Francis Leprosy Hospital in Buluba, a small village on the shore of Lake Victoria in Uganda. The hospital was started by the German Relief Association to treat leprosy and tuberculosis patients. It also serves many patients with a wide variety of tropical diseases as well as a large pediatric population.

"I was surprised to discover that pretty much everyone in Uganda gets malaria. It is like getting the flu or a cold in the U.S.," said Ashley Jones, a native of Goochland County, Va., who moved to New York City at age eight and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics from Princeton University. "It can be a devastating disease for children, and sadly malaria claims many young lives. We saw lots of roadside posters urging families to buy mosquito nets for children to prevent the transmission of malaria."

A typical workday for the VCU medical students started early, with medical rounds on a specific ward. They covered a different section each day and during the course of a week, they eventually saw each patient in the hospital. Afternoons were spent attending outpatient clinics, where they saw an average of 50 patients. There were also outreach clinics that would take the medical students out into the neighboring villages to administer vaccinations and health screenings.

"All of us greatly benefited from this experience, since we got to participate in third world medicine first hand and were unable to rely on the multiple tests and studies that we routinely order in the U.S.," said Elizabeth Ashley, who earned an undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary and stayed in Virginia for medical school because she preferred the warmer climate to that of her native Rhode Island. "We had to accept a great deal of medical uncertainty while also learning to emphasize the great deal that could be done to alleviate the suffering of the patient."

While in Uganda, the emphasis on physical diagnosis was greatly increased. Lab tests were limited to blood tests, malarial smears, and stool studies. X- rays were ordered only in special circumstances.

"I learned how much we rely on technology in the United States. Doctors in Uganda made diagnoses with minimal testing and imaging. They must rely on their exam skills, which forces you to become a better doctor," said Devang Patel, a New Jersey native who moved to Chesterfield County, Va., at age 8 and went on to earn a B.A. in biology from the University of Virginia. "Patients we saw also have a different set of illnesses and deal more with basic health issues such as immunizations and hygiene, which we take for granted here."

"This is definitely something that I will look back upon in the years to come as a significant trip," said Eric McCollum, from Fairfax, Va., who earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University. "I had wanted to experience medical care in a developing country since beginning medical school and I do foresee myself practicing some form of international medicine in the future."

In June, the four new doctors will begin assignments at different hospitals. McCollum is moving to New York City after graduation to begin a pediatric residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Patel is heading to the University of Maryland and a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics. Jones is also bound for New York City and a pediatrics residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell. Ashley also will have a pediatrics residency at the Boston Combined Residency Program at the Children's Hospital in Boston.