Trinity’s Society of Medicine and Surgery (SMS) a has donated a sum of money to the World Pediatric Project (WPP) late last week. Trinity student and SMS president David Hobby presented the check to Lauren McIntosh, executive director for the Eastern Caribbean of the World Pediatric Project at the Trinity campus in the presence of Dean Adkison and other members of the SMS leadership team. President Hobby explained the purpose and inspiration of the donation. “Over the past few weeks, we have been wanting to give back to the WPP,” he said, “With the close relationship between Trinity and the WPP, we get to assist them on their mission trips and engage in other learning activities when they’re here. The WPP does a great number of surgeries on pediatric cases throughout the region and they are extremely effective in changing lives for many people. It made sense to give back to the organization that is giving us a lot of advanced access and experience while also supporting the local population.”
He continued, echoing the school’s own emphasis on early clinical experience, that no matter how much medical students read, they start to really master topics when they are hands-on. The SMS team as a whole expressed appreciation for the continued opportunity to interact with patients as soon as possible. That, he noted, is one of the biggest benefits of Trinity School of Medicine. “We start rotations the first week we’re here; really getting great interactions at the local clinics and with patients at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital,” he opined, “all the clinics and the hospital have been extremely welcoming and informative in giving us the guidance that we need to be successful no matter where we go. That is the ultimate goal: to become excellent, well-rounded physicians.”
The group raised the funds through student activities provided to the greater student body. The efforts were well received, especially with WPP being the named beneficiary. Events included Trivia Nights, volleyball tournaments, tee-shirts, sales of snacks, the list went on. The SMS executive leadership has expressed the intention to make similar donations continuously, at least every term.
Lauren McIntosh of the WPP was very appreciative and lauded the close working relationship between the school and the organization, calling to mind the continuing medical education seminars that the fifth-term students participate in, and the interactions they engage in with medical and surgical experts and patients on WPP clinic days. “The fact that they have taken the initiative to consider WPP and give back to society makes us feel very warm and proud. We are the hub for the Eastern Caribbean here in St. Vincent, so the fact that they’ve spearheaded this initiative and brought it back home is great.”
A very proud Dean Adkison concluded the event, noting, “The venture is excellent because our students have great opportunities with the WPP when their physicians visit. The continued relationship between WPP, Trinity, and Trinity’s students through their own independent efforts helps us continue to provide our students with chances to interact with the visiting surgeons and see things they would not normally see while working closely with physicians very high in their field.”
The Society of Medicine and Surgery at Trinity has already begun to raise additional funds to be donated to the World Pediatric Project’s Eastern Caribbean office in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the upcoming term, solidifying the ongoing nature of the project.
