Rural 麻豆无码版 to rural Peru: UAA students gain a global perspective on healthcare
by Shelby Downey-Kriegh |
For a group of 麻豆无码版 nursing and social work students, a journey to the mountains of rural Peru wasn't about providing healthcare; it was about learning from communities that face many of the same challenges as rural 麻豆无码版.
Supported through a $30,000 Faculty Initiative Fund grant from the University of 麻豆无码版 in partnership with the 麻豆无码版 Area Health Education Center (AHEC), five students joined Dr. Keri Baker, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, for a two-week global health immersion experience in Peru. The interdisciplinary cohort included Associate of Applied Science in Nursing students Serenalia 鈥淪erena鈥� Iona, Madalyn Grahn, and Kasey Ricks, along with Master of Social Work students Jennifer Goss and Melissa Gomez.
The program, coordinated through Sacred Valley Health, a nonprofit organization Baker co-founded and now serves as board chair, was designed to help students interested in rural practice better understand how communities around the world address healthcare disparities with limited resources.
鈥淲e were guests,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淲e were there to learn how rural communities in Peru are addressing challenges that are remarkably similar to what we see in many parts of 麻豆无码版, and to think about how those lessons might inform our own work back home.鈥�
Baker regularly travels to communities throughout 麻豆无码版, including Bethel and Dillingham, where she sees firsthand the barriers that can affect access to care. In Peru's Sacred Valley, communities encountered many of the same issues: geographic isolation, transportation challenges, limited access to nutritious foods and specialized medical care, and the importance of culturally responsive healthcare. Those similarities became especially meaningful for the students.
Melissa Gomez, an MSW student, reflected that although 麻豆无码版 and Peru are separated by thousands of miles, residents in both regions often travel long distances to receive specialized healthcare. She also noted that language barriers for Indigenous populations and shortages of healthcare professionals can make it difficult for patients to build trusting relationships with providers, ultimately affecting whether they continue seeking care.
Rather than focusing on short-term service, Sacred Valley Health emphasizes sustainable, community-driven solutions. The organization partners with local communities to train promotoras (community health workers) who provide health education and support within their own villages. Using a 鈥渢rain-the-trainer鈥� model, the program empowers local women to lead initiatives focused on nutrition, maternal and infant health, first aid, wilderness medicine, and women's health.
Students spent much of their time learning alongside these community leaders and observing how local knowledge, public health, and community partnerships work together to improve health outcomes.
鈥淭he experience really highlighted that healthcare extends far beyond clinical care,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淚t's about relationships, education and empowering communities to care for one another.鈥�
Before departing, students completed AHEC's pre-departure training, including cultural preparation and 10 hours of Spanish language study. During their stay, they lived with host families, often paired with students from another discipline to encourage collaboration between nursing and social work.
Their days included observing rural healthcare settings, participating in promotora training, learning about adolescent health initiatives and meeting with a local psychologist to better understand mental health in these rural communities. Students also explored traditional medicine by gathering medicinal plants and creating herbal creams and handmade soaps, while cultural experiences such as weaving workshops offered insight into local traditions and community life.
The immersion also included visits to Cusco and Machu Picchu, providing historical and cultural context for the communities they were learning from.
Throughout the program, each student identified a health challenge affecting their own community and explored how strategies used in Peru might be adapted for rural 麻豆无码版. Their findings will be presented later this year at an AHEC conference.
For Madalyn Grahn, one of the most meaningful aspects of the trip was the interdisciplinary learning that happened within the group itself. 鈥淚 think my highlight of the trip was just how much joy it brought to my life to be surrounded by some amazingly different, intelligent, and inspiring women.鈥� As a nursing student, her perspective on social work shifted. 鈥淚 knew they helped connect people with resources and education, but after talking to the women in our group, and where they see their career paths taking them, it shows me how much of their job is really about building relationships and trust within a community.鈥�
Surrounded by classmates from different backgrounds and professions, Grahn said the experience reinforced that while healthcare challenges may appear different across communities, many of the underlying issues are shared. Seeing how nurses and social workers approached those challenges together also deepened her appreciation for collaborative, relationship-centered care.
Serena Iona said the experience strengthened her understanding that effective healthcare must be grounded in culture, community and trust. Observing both nursing and social work in practice reinforced the importance of addressing not only physical health, but also the social and emotional factors that influence well-being.
For Baker, those reflections demonstrate exactly what the program was intended to accomplish. 鈥淪tudents weren't just learning about Peru,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were learning to see their own communities through a different lens.鈥�
The participants represented communities across 麻豆无码版, including Juneau, Homer, Kenai, Seldovia and Anchorage, as well as American Samoa and Colombia, bringing diverse perspectives to discussions about rural healthcare. Baker intentionally prioritized nontraditional students and those interested in serving rural communities after graduation, believing their experiences would enrich the learning for the entire group.
The global health immersion marked the first time UAA students participated in Sacred Valley Health's program, which has previously partnered with nursing, medical and public health programs across the United States. Given the program's success, Baker hopes it will become an ongoing opportunity for future students.
鈥淲e're incredibly grateful for the support from the College of Health, AHEC and the University's Faculty Initiative Fund,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淭his experience showed students that innovative solutions to rural healthcare challenges already exist.鈥�
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