This project will facilitate a humanitarian medical service trip to Panama (April 26 – May 5, 2025), in collaboration with Floating Doctors, to provide medical care, health education, and community outreach in remote, underserved areas. A team of University of Lynchburg students and faculty will assist in mobile medical clinics, conduct community health assessments, and provide preventive and acute care for indigenous populations with limited healthcare access. The project aims to enhance healthcare delivery, improve patient outcomes, and foster cross-cultural medical training, equipping participants with critical skills in global health, tropical medicine, and emergency response. This initiative will make a difference by directly addressing medical needs in these communities while preparing the next generation of healthcare providers to work in resource-limited settings.
This project will serve the indigenous Ngäbe-Buglé people and other rural communities in Panama, who experience significant healthcare disparities due to geographic isolation, limited resources, and systemic barriers to medical services. Many individuals in these communities face high rates of malnutrition, infectious diseases, chronic conditions, and maternal-child health challenges with little or no access to routine medical care. By providing direct patient care, preventive health education, and capacity-building initiatives, this project will improve short-term health outcomes while supporting Floating Doctors’ long-term mission of sustainable healthcare development in the region.
The expected impact of this project is twofold:
Immediate Community Health Benefits – By offering direct medical care, screenings, and health education, this initiative will help address urgent medical needs and chronic health conditions, improve preventive healthcare efforts, and support public health interventions in underserved communities.
Long-Term Professional & Educational Growth – For students and faculty, this experience will provide invaluable hands-on training in global health, cultural competence, and field medicine, reinforcing skills in adaptability, leadership, and interdisciplinary collaboration. These learnings will extend beyond the trip, as participants apply their experiences to future careers in medicine, public health, and emergency response, fostering a lifelong commitment to service and humanitarian healthcare.
Healing Across Islands: A Journey of Service and Strength
Last week, our mobile clinic team visited two remarkable island communities in the nearby islands of Panama—Playa Verde and Playa Lorenzo. Thanks to our collaboration with the Floating Doctors, we set up a five-provider station and we were able to deliver care to nearly everyone who came out, from chronic care patients to health education and fast-lane priority groups including children, pregnant women, and the elderly seeing approximately 100 patients per day.
The warmth and hospitality we received were truly unforgettable. Playa Verde, in particular, came alive with the incredible spirit of our Lynchburg PA group, whose dedication and compassion shone through in every patient interaction. We were also fortunate to work alongside the Floating Doctors team, a diverse group of specialty providers from around the world. The collaboration was inspiring—we exchanged knowledge, shared best practices, and compared evidence-based treatment approaches from our respective countries to U.S. standards. It was a powerful reminder of how much we can learn from one another when united by a shared mission to serve.
Beyond the clinic, we conducted home visits in both communities, trekking through dense jungle and remote villages to bring care to those who couldn’t reach us. These journeys, though challenging, were among the most meaningful moments of the trip—offering care to patients in isolated areas who otherwise might have gone without.
One powerful part of this mission was learning about the Man Chi Chi program, where local midwives—armed with little more than knowledge, grit, and heart—travel island to island supporting mothers through pregnancy, delivery, and newborn care. Their tireless work is helping lower infant mortality and bring hope to at-risk mothers. They also lead youth outreach efforts focused on STI prevention and reproductive health education—empowering the next generation through knowledge and choice.
This trip also opened the door to a vibrant cultural experience I’ll never forget. We had the unique opportunity to engage with the Ngäbe-Buglé tribe and learn basic phrases in their native language, Ngäbere—a language I had never encountered before. Immersing ourselves in their traditions, we learned about their homeopathic medicinal practices, spiritual beliefs, and community values. Several other tribes from neighboring islands also welcomed us, each offering a window into distinct customs and shared resilience. It was a humbling and eye-opening experience that deepened our understanding of the people we were serving.
Another exciting initiative is the Eye Surgery Project we supported with the Floating Doctors Group. We’ve begun gathering patient data to identify those who may benefit from pterygium and cataract surgery—laying the groundwork for long-term impact in restoring vision and independence. These were pretty prevalent conditions we saw throughout most of the communities.
This mission not only improved access to care for countless patients—it transformed me, too. Witnessing the resilience of these communities and being able to play a part in their healthcare journey reminded me why I chose this path. Seeing a grateful smile from someone I had the privilege to help, despite the inhospitable conditions, was the most rewarding experience of all.
