A little bit more about me

Hi! I am Camille, currently MS3 from USF MCOM and I traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico for the month of January 2016 through CFHI's program Realities of Health Access and Inequities.

 At USF, I am part of the SELECT program which focuses on aspects such as leadership, patient-centered care, and emotional intelligence. Three years in, I believe it has reshaped my outlook on medicine so it was interesting how these lenses shaped my experience in Oaxaca. Due to some circumstances, I decided to take a year off from school, allowing me to explore other medically-related interests that I would otherwise not have time for in med school. At first, I was afraid to take a year off (and increase time to my graduation countdown!) but the time ended up creating a wonderful silver lining and taught me to always be open to creating new opportunities!

My main interest for the last couple of years has been Pediatrics. I worked with children in undergrad, and all around end my day on a better note if it was spent with children. Another goal I have is to work with Doctors Without Borders, or similar international health projects. My family's background has made me call many locations around the world "home," but I also have studied and participated in research projects abroad. I love exposing myself to new cultures and it appears I was meant to spend most of my time in airports. And, of course, I love to help the neediest of populations so programs like MSF and CFHI are right up my ally.

Although my school has several mission trips throughout the year, I never got around to participating because they are usually during our 1-week breaks. I really wanted to find something that would allow me a longer immersion with the community I visited, which is how I found CFHI. This trip with CFHI was my first time practicing medicine abroad and I am thankful they helped me out financially with a scholarship!

This trip had an immense impact in my life, and I could definitely see it changing the way I interact with future patients. These next few posts are excerpts of my journaling throughout my experience. While they do not contain every single moment, I think they would be enough to show what my daily life was like for anyone considering this program. Overall, I 100% recommend it!!