This volunteer opportunity will primarily serve to benefit the community in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. AAD has partnered with HVO to grow local healthcare (specifically dermatologic) infrastructure in developing countries. Their express purpose is to train local healthcare providers, not just provide direct medical care. In this way the program becomes self-sustaining, as knowledge is shared with local providers and more of the local population will have access to dermatologic care.
I will be working alongside the residents and medical students at Preah Kossamak Hospital (PHK) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. There are very few dermatologists in Cambodia and the walk in clinic serves a large catchment area of both rural and urban patients. Many diseases of the skin go untreated in a location without routine access to dermatologic care.
I hope to impart dermatologic knowledge to the residents and medical students at PKH so they can take that information and grow their residency training. The goal is not simply to go and treat, but to educate so the care of these patients can continue after the medical mission has ended.
I think the person most impacted by the trip was me! I was humbled by the immense knowledge of my host hospital, as well as their ability to clinically manage patients without the crutch of a biopsy. It helped me expand my own ability to create a clinical differential diagnosis instead of falling back on pathology. Beyond the hospital experience, being able to explore Cambodia was a trip I'll never forget. There has been such loss over their history but there is a resilience within everyone I met to build back.
