By Karen Sharpe
With still more than two years left in her ob-gyn residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, Lisa Levine, M.D., ’01 has already committed herself to serving others—by providing vital health care to poor and disadvantaged women around the globe.
A trip last fall to Uganda and Kenya with Prevention International: No Cervical Cancer (PINCC)—a group with which she has been involved since medical school—solidified her determination. With other volunteers, Levine conducted cervical cancer screenings and provided education aimed at helping the impoverished women stay healthy. At times, though, Levine says, the extreme poverty she experienced made her feel helpless—and she wondered if, in fact, she was making any difference at all.
“The doctors we worked with in Uganda told us that, if this program was successful, the governmental agencies would consider initiating this screening program on a national level,” Levine says. “If that were the case, then we can truly say we are working toward change—toward making a difference. You can’t overcome huge obstacles without using steppingstones to get there.”
Despite her hectic residency schedule, Levine is already planning a trip to Central America with PINCC in June.
“I know I want to dedicate my life to bettering the future, both here in the States and abroad,” Levine says. “Working in these poor communities with these amazing people is the whole reason I went to medical school to begin with. I just have to keep remembering through the grueling times that I love medicine—I love this field—and I love trying to make a difference.”
|
