Castillo among DukeEngage students in Uganda addressing antenetal care, other health concerns
photo by Eric Van Danen
Pre-med student Catherine Castillo joined 9 other students in a new summer program in Southern Uganda in partnership with Mayanja Memorial Hospital (MMH) and Mayanja Memorial Hospital Foundation (MMHF) (www.mmhfoundation.org), as well as Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). Below, she explains what inspired her to take part in the program and what she's eager to bring back with her to Duke.
1. What drew you to this particular program?
As a pre-med student with a strong interest in global health, I was hoping to find a program for the summer where I could work with a new community and expand my international experience while simultaneously gaining more exposure to the variety of roles and careers in the medical field overseas. The DukeEngage program in Uganda, which is aligned with one of Duke's student organizations, the Progressive Health Partnership, is composed of both of these elements as the project centers on contributing to the prevention of malaria and emphasizing the importance of antenatal care in the community of Mbarara.
2. What excited you about working with your community partner?
The city of Mbarara is blessed with two relatively young and enthusiastic institutions working towards improving their community, the Mayanja Memorial Hospital and the Mbarara University of Science and Technology. The hospital is associated with a network of satellite clinics that serve villages around the city. I was excited to work with individuals in these institutions because I admire their growth, efforts, and dedication. I also felt I would benefit greatly from becoming enveloped in the culture of their country and experiencing their values and way of life.
3. What benefit do you hope your service will have for your community partner and your host community?
As the first group to go to Uganda from the Duke Progressive Health Partnership, we hope to establish a long-lasting relationship of collaboration with the community and our community partner that will help to allocate efforts, manpower, and funds to the specific needs of the community, which we will be assessing during our service this year. In the most practical sense, our group hoped to provide some useful equipment we have gathered and purchased through fundraising efforts, and our hope is that they will continue to contribute to the health of individuals in Mbarara.
4. How do you hope to put into action what you learned through your DukeEngage experience once back at Duke?
I plan to continue my involvement in the Progressive Health Partnership, increase my exploration in the field of global health, and fine-tune my course selection with the intent to learn what I can in order to continue my career into the global health field. I hope to participate in developing programming that will assist Duke students of any major to become involved in civic engagement, including but not limited to DukeEngage, so that they may see how their variety of intellectual and career interests can all be used in contributing to the improvement of the quality of life around the world.
DukeEngage is featuring 18 students over the course of the summer participating in both group programs and independent projects. Check back weekly to view the latest student profile.
