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Grad begins medical career in Africa
Avesar, 22, grew up in Agoura Hills and graduated with honors from UC San Diego with a degree in premedical biology. He hopes to one day become a doctor specializing in infectious diseases and believes living and working in Africa where a high percentage of the population is infected with AIDS or HIV will open up distinct learning opportunities. "One of the best parts of going there (will be the opportunity) to prove to them what I can do," Avesar said. He said that because the clinic is so rural he will be able to build trust with patients and doctors and provide hands-on care to patients. The clinic is the only primary care facility available for thousands of people in the area, Avesar said. Doctors and interns treat patients suffering from a variety of serious medical conditions, including malaria. Africans have also been battling the epidemic HIV/AIDS outbreak, which triggered the organization to build a new section of the clinic devoted to the treatment and counseling of HIV/AIDS patients. Avesar expects to help doctors in all areas but will start by heading the community outreach effort. He will administer infant vaccinations and provide education to families about how to prevent venereal diseases, he said. The learning opportunities for Avesar will reach beyond the medical realm. He must learn Swahili if he is to live, learn and work in central Africa for 10 months and must become familiar with cultural norms vastly different from those of the West. "I read about the area I'm going to, and I'm going to be living in an area without electricity or running water," Avesar said. Polygamy is common, he said. Avesar has yet to be assigned to a host family but says he looks forward to getting to know them, whoever they may be. As for the language barrier, Avesar has been hitting the books. His first step in conquering Swahili is to memorize the medical terms he'll be describing to patients. "I hope to be pretty functional with it," he said. Avesar believes he was destined to work in Africa. In the midst of his own search for an internship abroad, a friend came home from Africa, and Avesar began listening to African music. Some of his coursework touched on medical and political issues in Africa. "Between music, courses, medical stuff, everything was leading toward it," Avesar said. "A lot of things happened at once. It was a pretty cool moment." Although the experience will undoubtedly help Avesar get into a top medical school, he said that was really not the motivation behind his decision. "It was more like it was meant to be, sort of- a lot of factors made me pretty gung ho about this trip." Avesar said. But the advantages of living and working in Africa toward his ultimate goal of becoming a doctor are undeniable. In fact, Avesar was partly inspired to work there because of a book he read about Dr. Paul Farmer, a physician who lived and worked in Haiti and developed new treatments for tuberculosis. Avesar's first internship duty is to raise enough money to travel to Kenya. He is hosting a fundraising party for friends and family at his parents' Agoura Hills home in the fall and is seeking contributions from corporate sponsors and other benefactors. Avesar said he needs to earn $7,500, $5,000 of which is earmarked for the foundation to operate the clinic, assist the host family and pay for food and transportation. The remaining money will be reserved in a separate fund to be targeted to a specific cause to be identified by Avesar. Avesar will apply to graduate school while he's living in Kenya. He expects to go to medical school by 2009 and hopes to be accepted at UC San Francisco, which is known for its superior public health programs. For further information on how to contribute to the Foundation for Sustainable Development and Avesar's journey, call him at (818) 312-6314 or e-mail him at michaelavesar@hotmail.com. |
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