Healing Hands in Honduras
UH Medical Students Embark on Journey of a Lifetime
Nestled in the lush, green hills of southwestern Honduras, just a stone’s throw from the border of El Salvador, is the small, remote village of Santa Ana. It is a place where the people are kind, faithful and resilient. It’s also a place where reliable, consistent medical care is scarce.
In April, after a three-hour flight and a wildly winding six-hour bus ride, 10 first-year medical students from the University of Houston’s Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine arrived with stethoscopes around their necks and an unwavering commitment to make a difference. It was an extraordinary journey of service, where they not only treated patients but witnessed the very essence of what it means to be a healer.
Dr. Stephen Spann (front left) and students from the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine begin a long bus ride to the clinic in Santa Ana, Honduras.
Dr. Stephen Spann (front left) and students from the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine begin a long bus ride to the clinic in Santa Ana, Honduras.
“I think this experience reminded them of their purpose and why they’re here,” said Dr. Stephen Spann, founding dean of the Fertitta Family College of Medicine. “It’s something they’ll remember the rest of their lives.”
Focus on Global Health
Spann’s relationship with Honduras, where roughly 80% of people do not have access to quality health care, began more than 20 years ago when he was asked to help develop an international health curriculum for students at Baylor College of Medicine.
“We wanted to visit an underserved area relatively close to Texas to teach medical students the principles of global health, community health and how to take care of patients with limited diagnostic and treatment resources,” Spann said.
In the beginning, Spann and his brigade of students would visit twice a year, bringing supplies and medications, providing patient care and even building a clinic. Eventually, with support from a non-profit foundation, the clinic hired a local doctor, nurses and a dentist. But this was the first time in six years he was able to return to Santa Ana with his students.
“We always thought global health would be an important part of our curriculum at Fertitta Family College of Medicine,” Spann said. “And clinical experiences abroad are a big part of that.”
Dr. Winston Liaw (left) and students Chinasa Anokwuru (middle) and Linda Yamthe (right) outside the clinic in Santa Ana.
Dr. Winston Liaw (left) and students Chinasa Anokwuru (middle) and Linda Yamthe (right) outside the clinic in Santa Ana.
Students (from L-R) measuring out medications: Anika Felix, Stephanie Sanchez, Cameron Cooper, Angelique Basquine, Malachi Miller.
Students (from L-R) measuring out medications: Anika Felix, Stephanie Sanchez, Cameron Cooper, Angelique Basquine, Malachi Miller.
Students Leah Smith (left) and Chinasa Anokwuru (right) play games with village children at the clinic.
Students Leah Smith (left) and Chinasa Anokwuru (right) play games with village children at the clinic.
Staying True to the Mission
The Fertitta Family College of Medicine was founded on a mission to improve health and health care outcomes in underserved communities in Houston, across Texas and beyond. Students who left the comfort of their classroom for the clinic in Santa Ana say it was the perfect training ground.
“I want to become a doctor to help Spanish-speaking patients like my mother and father navigate a fairly difficult health care system,” said Stephanie Sanchez, a first-generation college student from Monterrey, Mexico who grew up in Houston. “I chose the Fertitta Family College of Medicine for its commitment to providing care in communities that need it most.”
During their week in Honduras, students not only worked with patients in the clinic, but they also accompanied Dr. Spann on house calls throughout the village, including one that involved a mile-and-a-half hike in the mountains.
Sanchez fondly remembers her experience with one patient in particular, a bed-bound, 28-year-old woman with advanced rheumatoid arthritis, whose relatives had cared for her as best they could.
“She taught me about a disease I wasn’t really familiar with,” Sanchez said. “Even more importantly, she showed me that although life can be really difficult, hope, love and family can get you through a lot. I will think about her for a very long time to come.”
“I chose the Fertitta Family College of Medicine for its commitment to providing care in communities that need it most.”
-Stephanie Sanchez, UH medical student
Unforgettable Experience
In Honduras, a country with 10 million people, adequate medical care is very hard to find outside of its two largest cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Staffing, facilities and equipment are far below standards in developed parts of the world, especially in the more rural, impoverished areas like Santa Ana.
Anika Felix, a first-year student from Killeen, Texas, said this wasn’t just an unforgettable experience, it was a chance to make a difference in the lives of people who needed help the most.
“The clinic’s impact on this community is immeasurable,” said Felix. “This experience widened what I thought was possible and reinforced my passion to serve the underserved.”
Students Chinasa Anokwuru (middle) and Anika Felix (right) watch as a clinic doctor performs a procedure on a patient.
Students Chinasa Anokwuru (middle) and Anika Felix (right) watch as a clinic doctor performs a procedure on a patient.
For Itzel Tejada, a first-year student from Juarez, Mexico, the trip was much more personal.
“I grew up living the health inequities we learn about in school,” Tejada said. “That’s what inspires me to pursue this life of health advocacy for marginalized communities. Working in clinical settings like this is incredibly rewarding.”
The brigade of doctors and students from the UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine enjoying some down time in Santa Ana.
The brigade of doctors and students from the UH Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine enjoying some down time in Santa Ana.
Grace Harper (left), a translator, with Doctora Linda (middle), a clinic physician, and student Chinasa Anokwuru (right) in the clinic pharmacy.
Grace Harper (left), a translator, with Doctora Linda (middle), a clinic physician, and student Chinasa Anokwuru (right) in the clinic pharmacy.
College of Medicine students walk through the village of Santa Ana in between patient visits.
College of Medicine students walk through the village of Santa Ana in between patient visits.
College of Medicine students embarked on a 1.5 mile hike over rugged terrain to visit one of their patients.
College of Medicine students embarked on a 1.5 mile hike over rugged terrain to visit one of their patients.
Building Lasting Relationships
When it comes to what they’ll remember most, these Fertitta Family College of Medicine students all agree on one thing.
“The people, the people, the people. They welcomed us with open arms,” Tejada said. “Every day was a learning experience and I felt touched by every single interaction I had. It filled me with hope and inspiration.”
And whether it was playing a game or sharing a meal, the community’s hospitality stood out the most.
“Everything memorable about the trip centered around the amazing people of Santa Ana,” Felix said. “The grace and patience they had with us as we cared for them are what I’ll remember most. And they were so grateful for our help.”
It was a chance to build lasting relationships on their journey to becoming doctors.
“The people were incredibly kind, and the doctors were so compassionate,” Sanchez said. “Anyone who wants to see the world from a different perspective, and see the resilience human beings can have, should go to Santa Ana. I hope to visit again one day.”
The brigade enjoys one more opportunity to see the village before returning to Houston.
The brigade enjoys one more opportunity to see the village before returning to Houston.
Built with Shorthand