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Refuge International in Guatemala

William Young

Medical School Class of 2021

William Young
Globe showing the Dominican Republic

The UT Southwestern annual global health trip to Sarstún, Guatemala, served as a great chance to make the level of impact I always longed for when choosing a career in medicine.

Each year we partner with Refuge International in Longview, Texas, and assist them in achieving their vision of longitudinal health care in this remote indigenous village. Working in rural Guatemala taught me about the dramatic influence medicine and global health can have on a community, both good and bad, and about the unique struggles and peoples of Central America.

As a future medical professional, there was no better way to understand the principles of public health than to assist and bear witness to a health initiative starting from the ground up in a developing community.

– William Young, Medical School Class of 2021

Map of Guatemala

Map of Guatemala.

Students standing on a small bridge in rural Guatemala

Students standing on a small bridge in rural Guatemala.

A building in rural Guatemala

A building in rural Guatemala.

A clinic room with a sink, chair, and exam table

A clinic in rural Guatemala.

Two women working at a table in an office in rural Guatemala

Colleagues in rural Guatemala.