First MEDLIFE Trip to Peru Offered 13 Students the Chance to Learn, Serve, and Connect

New MEDLIFE chapter aims to educate future healthcare leaders about ongoing global healthcare issues.

To promote a healthier and more equitable world, a group of undergraduate students from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) brought their knowledge and skills from Boston to Lima, Peru, where they engaged in hands-on medical service, cultural exchange, and community outreach.

The trip this past May was the first journey abroad for the new MCPHS chapter of MEDLIFE, which stands for Medicine, Education and Development for Low Income Families Everywhere, and is a nonprofit that organizes service-learning trips abroad. The group was established by recent graduate Desiree Irungu, who led 11 other students on the weeklong excursion to Peru.

“The students here are the future of medicine,” Irungu said. “Instead of creating a pattern of cultural ignorance, I wanted to help my peers and myself learn about different cultures and what medicine is like in different countries to make us better medical practitioners.”

An International Mindset

It all started with Irungu, a 2024 graduate of the Molecular & Medical Biology program. Inspired by her experiences growing up in Kenya, she aims to expand healthcare services to underserved areas.

“I asked people, do you want only to know one type of medicine? Or do you want to broaden your horizons and become a better healthcare provider by learning about global medicine?” Irungu said.

Irungu worked closely with MEDLIFE staff and agreed to embark on a trip within the year. She recruited Josh Friedlich, another Medical and Molecular Biology student in her year, who was “automatically” onboard.

“Because of COVID, I didn't have that much of a traditional college experience, and I thought this might be my only chance to do something like this,” Friedlich said.

After months of fundraising, planning, and securing travel documents, the students packed their bags and set off for the trip.

Doing the Work

In Peru, the students stayed in a hostel in Lima and traveled by bus to remote villages. They’d set up clinics with five stations: pharmacy, dental, OBGYN, general medicine, and a triage checkpoint.

Irungu recalled a memorable encounter with a cervical cancer patient now in remission.

“The patient had a complicated history, and her story was very long. To see the doctor put down all his things and just sit there and listen to her and talk to her as a human being was really comforting. Seeing patients be treated as people, rather than just numbers, motivated me as a future physician,” Irungu said.

The trip presented challenges, including a language barrier and long, emotionally demanding hours. However, with the help of translators and local workers, the students adapted.

“I did learn a lot of Spanish, even though we were only there for nine days, just by reading and hearing and listening,” Friedlich said. “Now I work at Beth Israel, and I'm using my Spanish almost every day.”

Future Goals

The MCPHS students formed close relationships with medical professionals from various countries, including India and Tanzania. The experience strengthened Irungu’s and Friedlich’s commitment to volunteer medicine.

“It solidified for me that I want to work as a doctor without borders and visit different communities worldwide,” Irungu said.

Even after graduation, Irungu and Friedlich continue to support the club.

“I’d like to get more people to be part of the organization, and for them to be able to travel, maybe learn a different language, and do more things that will help them in their careers—not just students at our school, but everywhere,” Friedlich said.

Both said they plan to continue traveling, with Irungu eyeing Africa and Asia and Friedlich interested in other MEDLIFE partner countries like Costa Rica. Friedlich also hopes to return to Peru.

“I really want to go back and see how everyone's doing,” Friedlich said.