A Little bit about me
My two brothers and I
Hi! My name is Elizabeth Doane. I was born and raised on the east coast of Florida, am the oldest of three and the only daughter of the family. I am currently a senior at the University of Notre Dame
majoring in sociology and pre-professional studies. This past summer I traveled
to Antigua, Guatemala and interned at a clinic there for two months.
My Site Partner
Mariana and I
Mariana Prado-Anaya, a junior this year at the University of Notre Dame, was also chosen to participate in this ISSLP sponsored program in Antigua, Guatemala. I was lucky to be paired with Mariana not only because her first language is Spanish but also because we very quickly became great friends. We stayed with the same homestay family over the two months and together we learned the layout of the city, helped out in the Common Hope clinic, and learned more about the extreme poverty in nearby villages.
Our Coordinator
Dr. Walter and patient
When Mariana and I entered the clinic our first day, we were immediately introduced to Dr. Walter. Dr. Walter was our medical clinic coordinator for the two months we worked at Common Hope. For the past two years Dr. Walter has been working as the clinic manager, overseeing clinic staff and volunteers as well as the pharmacy and the community health program. With the help of Dr. Walter, Mariana and I were able to see all aspects of the health clinic from the mobile clinic to the public health programs to the dental and medical on site clinics.
The Clinic Staff
Group photo of the medical clinic staff we worked with
Toward the end of our two months this picture was taken of the medical and dental clinic staff. The staff includes a nutritionist, two nurses, four physicians (including Dr. Walter), a lab technician, a pharmacist, a receptionist, a dentist, and a dental assistant. It was very exciting to get to know this group of dedicated individuals and for two months to be able to become part of the the team.
The Children And Patients
While working with Common Hope we also got to know many of the patients and children we worked with. Tuesdays and Thursdays were dedicated to groups, usually diabetes or hypertension patients. Through the course of two months we came to know many of the patients we treated. Similarly, house and school visits also allowed Mariana and I to get to know the children as more than just faces. Getting to know the patients we worked with as people was an extremely rewarding part of our journey.