VCOM 2016 Annual Report

Alumni Living the Mission

Bringing it back full circle

with Yale University in Butara, Rwanda.

that face many patients both in other countries and in rural Appalachia. VCOM’s mission aligns with her desire to bring healthcare to those in need. “A reason why VCOM really attracted me was its mission to serve the underserved and bring basic primary care to rural Appalachia. It very much fits the same idea of going into a place in another part of the world where resources are limited,” said Esmaili. Esmaili hopes her work in other countries will provide her greater insight into the underserved populations in Durham, North Carolina, where she practices, bringing full circle the idea of giving back to communities in need.

Esmaili found herself wondering what to do next. “It seems I have the privileged luxury to step back and ponder the suffering around me and make independent decisions about how to respond,” she wrote. She decided to return to the United States to pursue her Masters of Arts in Bioethics and Science Policy at Duke University. Esmaili returned to Blacksburg, Virginia, to speak to the students, faculty and staff about her journeys around the world. She recounted the food shortages, lack of nutritional education and clear poverty that affected so many of her patients. Her goal when speaking at the Leading Global Health Seminar on March 22, 2016, was to inspire students to take a step to fight problems

F or most of her professional life, Emily Esmaili, DO, VCOM Class of 2008, has traveled Asia and Africa serving as an expert in pediatrics for underserved areas. Her journey started in Vientiane, Laos People’s Democratic Republic. Malnutrition was a key component of the deteriorating health that brought many of Esmaili’s patients to her in Vientiane.

In 2014, Esmaili crossed continents to begin work

“A reason why VCOM really attracted me was its mission to serve the underserved and bring basic primary care to rural Appalachia. It very much fits the same idea of going into a place in another part of the world where resources are limited.” - Emily Esmaili, DO

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