Explore Ecuador on a medical mission

Tags: Ecuador, medical mission, Katherine Lynn Walker

Thursday, September 23, 2021 9:03:00 AM

By Katherine Lynn Walker, MD

A warm hello to my fellow AAFP members! My name is Katherine Lynn Walker. I am a board-certified family medicine physician with more than 20 years of clinical experience and more than 10 years of leadership experience on international medical brigades. I work in a private practice located in Boulder County, Colorado. And I also serve as an adjunct faculty member at the St. Anthony North Family Medicine Residency in the greater Denver area.

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce MissionCMEcuador, a program I developed and presented at the AAFP Global Health Summit National Conference in 2020. In collaboration with the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health in Otavalo, this one-of-a-kind international opportunity allows U.S.-based physicians to provide medical care in underserved areas of the Otavolo Canton, located in the Imbabura Province of Ecuador.

In addition, it is possible to earn up to 30 CME credits as part of the program. Some of these credits may be obtained via participation in online courses prior to a trip, some will be earned in country, and the remainder may be acquired through an optional teaching aspect of the program.

The week-long program also includes some tourist attractions, like visiting the “Mitad del Mundo” (or the “Middle of the World”), as Ecuador lies on the equator. Also, as a possible extension of the trip, the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu are nearby “bucket list” destinations.

Due to COVID, the trips have been suspended temporarily. However, there are plans to resume the program in 2022. If you are interested in learning more, please visit https://missioncmecuador.com for information on the program. I will respond personally to any inquiries.

2 Comments

Diahann Marshall, MD said 3 years ago

I would love to learn more about the program. I lived in Ecuador (Portoviejo) for a little over a year on the Rotary International Exchange program and loved it. I would love to go back
nelly said 3 years ago

Hi Dr. Marshall. Sorry it took me a bit to see your comment. I'll put you in touch with Dr. Walker.

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