CONWAY, Ark. (April 19, 2018)
– Hendrix College Professor of Spanish Dr. José Vilahomat and Professor Irmina
Fabricio, an instructor of Spanish, spent Spring Break 2018 traveling with six
Hendrix students to learn about kidney transplants and kidney disease in
Nicaragua, home to one of the world’s highest incidences of kidney disease.
The five-day trip, made
possible by funding from the Hendrix Odyssey Program, was geared toward
students interested in careers in the medical field, whose majors included pre-medicine,
health science, biology, and biochemistry, and who have completed the Spanish
120 course at Hendrix. With a focus on kidney transplants and an emphasis on
communication in Spanish, the trip included talking with specialists and
surgeons, learning about past and present methodologies and the nature of the
Nicaraguan healthcare system, and participating in conferences with medical
professionals.
To prepare for the
experience, students researched and made presentations on a variety of topics
that would relate to the medical focus of their trip, such as public health in
Nicaragua, the history of the use of antibiotics, and various aspects of kidney
function and the transplantation process.
“Combining the pre-med major
with Spanish is already common at Hendrix, and so this immersive experience
builds on and strengthens that path for students,” said Vilahomat. This is the
third edition of Exploring Aspects of Nicaraguan Healthcare System, which has
earned praise because of the close interaction students have with high-profile
surgeons and specialists throughout the trip, including their participation in
ecotourism excursions such as volcano hiking and zip lining through the cloud
forest.
The students used their
Spanish language skills in visiting a hospital and a private clinic, where they
heard presentations by medical professionals and had the chance to ask
questions and receive answers in Spanish. Students had the occasion to get to
know Dr. Silvio Rodríguez González, the surgeon who performed Nicaragua’s first
kidney transplants, interact with him in different venues, and visit Hospital
Salud Integral to tour a
hemodialysis room and other hospital facilities with him as their guide.
Students also visited Dr. Rodríguez’s private clinic, heard lectures, and
interacted with the presentation by reading excerpts of the conference and
actively participating in Q&A sessions. Along the way, conversations with
Vilahomat and Fabricio helped students articulate the most relevant aspects of
the information they gathered and experiences they shared.
“Being a very meticulous and
organized person myself, I felt that I connected with Dr. Rodríguez,” wrote
Hendrix student Kaersti McLellan ’19 in her reflections following the trip. “I
always knew I enjoyed dissections and watching surgeries, but as a junior
starting my application to medical school, I hope to begin pursuing this
interest further and truly figure out if a surgery or a transplant specialty is
where I need to be.”
“From a medical standpoint,
I grew as a student who is interested in working as a medical professional who
can communicate with others in languages other than English,” said Savannah Wiegel
’21. “I also experienced some cultural differences and how learning such formal
Spanish in my high school classroom differed from the Spanish I was immersed in
in Nicaragua. I realized how crucial it is for me to work on my Spanish
speaking skills every day instead of only during class.”
In addition to McLellan and
Wiegel, students who participated in the trip were Roshaneh Ali ’19, Graham
Harris ’18, Kyle O’Connor ’20, and Lauren Petrisin ’18.
About
Hendrix College
A private liberal arts
college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as
one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That
Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and
rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous
college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been
affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.