Three weeks in Africa

Two medical students from OUWB spent three weeks in Ghana – the first pair from the school to participate in Oakland University’s Study Abroad to Ghana program.

Kaelin Ray and Kamaria Potier, both M2s, went on the trip last summer.

While in the west Africa country, they participated in hands-on, community-driven experiences covering social issues primarily affecting women and children.

The duo also participated in community-based health care while engaging with professionals to understand the health needs of a developing country. Both say they wanted to go on the trip because they are interested in global health and want to one day be the best doctors they can be.

“It definitely opened up my perspective on medicine, people, and how to engage with those from other cultures,” says Ray. “It will help me with communicating and relating to other people’s experiences.”

Potier says she took away similar feelings.

“It influenced me to have more compassion and empathy for patients,” she says. “It helped me remember that I might be having a hard day from seeing many patients, but each person has their own difficulty that they’re dealing with and it’s important to be able to be in the moment with them.”

Essential opportunities

The program was started three years ago by Kwame Sakyi, Ph.D., associate professor, Public Health, Oakland University School of Health Sciences

Sakyi says he wanted students to see how countries with very limited resources solve pressing health care issues.

“I wanted to also expose the students to a different health care system and model of delivery so that have a bigger relative picture of who they are,” he says.

For the first few years, the program was available only to OU undergraduate students — primarily those with aspirations to enter the fields of medicine or dentistry.

Based on the medical cases students saw previously on the trip, Sakyi says it made sense to open it up to medical students in 2024. OUWB supported its students with scholarships that covered most of the costs.

That’s because OUWB officials believe such opportunities are essential for preparing well-rounded, culturally competent physicians, according to Inaya Hajj Hussein, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies, and one of the directors of OUWB’s Global Health Initiatives.

“Such opportunities allow medical students to broaden their perspectives on health care by witnessing how social, economic, and cultural factors shape health outcomes in different parts of the world,” she says.

“This helps future physicians develop the empathy, adaptability, and problem-solving skills needed to address health disparities and provide patient-centered care, regardless of the setting.”

Observing

The OU/OUWB cohort spent the first few days of the trip in Accra, Ghana, which is the country’s capital and largest city.

The group then traveled north to Sunyani, Ghana, via an eight-hour bus ride followed by a two-hour flight.

During the two weeks in Sunyani, the OU/OUWB cohort immersed itself in the local community. For the medical students, that included a significant amount of time at two local hospitals where they saw various types of patient interactions and surgeries as they rotated in different departments.  

“We were observing, asking questions, engaging with different levels of faculty in each department,” says Ray.

A large amount of time was spent on the OB-GYN unit, where the two medical students had particularly impactful experiences.

“They had a patient come in who was pregnant and experiencing seizures, which I thought was very interesting because I’ve never seen a case like that in the U.S.,” says Potier. “The incidence for eclampsia is very low in the United States because when a woman comes in with pre-eclampsia she is usually treated and doesn’t really develop seizures.”

Ray says she started “getting really emotional” when she saw her first C-section.

“I was envisioning myself as an OB-GYN and doing this kind of surgery and I was really touched by it,” she says.

Local culture

In addition to their time in the hospitals, the cohort participated in a daily activity.

Activities ranged from meals and learning about local cuisine to visiting locations of cultural significance, such as the palace of a local chief, markets, museums, and Elmina Castle, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its role in the Atlantic slave trade.

“Learning about the local culture helps the (OU/OUWB) students slow down a bit, while also helping them with their identity,” says Sakyi. “Questions come to mind…what does it mean to be Black, what does it mean to be white, what does it mean to be American?”

Potier and Ray say the people of Ghana made a positive impression on them.

“The people were very welcoming,” says Potier. “Especially in Sunyani, which is a smaller community where everyone knows everyone. They recognize that you’re from out of town take you in and show you their customs and community.”

Ray adds that everyone was “extremely kind and welcoming.”

Hajj Hussein says those are exactly the kinds of observations and lessons OUWB officials want students to take away from such experiences.

“I hope the students took away a deeper understanding of the profound impact that culture, history, and socioeconomic factors have on health,” she says.

“Beyond the medical knowledge, I hope they gained a more empathetic and holistic approach to patient care, recognizing that health disparities are often rooted in systemic inequalities that extend far beyond medical treatment.”

Hajj Hussein says she also wanted students to develop “a greater appreciation for the resilience of people living in resource-limited settings and learned how to work effectively within different cultural contexts.”

“I also hope they now better understand the importance of cultural competence and global health awareness, both of which are essential for providing compassionate and equitable care,” she adds.