AOA Spotlight Series

Hey guys! The past couple days I've been working on an article for the American Osteopathic Association. They reached out to me and asked me to write an article to be submitted and used in the student spotlight series in an upcoming magazine. So I have had less time to write a blog post and decided I would copy and paste the article I submitted to give you an overview and complete perspective of the ride and again what led myself to joining this amazing group. We make it to Columbus Ohio in just 2 days and have 5 off days while there so that the majority of our riders can participate in graduation events. With that said expect an update from Columbus then. Thank you for reading and like always visit R4WH.org for extra info and to see my personal page on the website.


When I opened an email nearly a year ago I knew this is how I’d spend my last month of medical school. The email was from Ride for World Health (R4WH) and combined my 2 greatest passions, world health and cycling. Now, as I write this, our team is in Louisville, KY and well over 2500 miles into our ride.

 Ride for World Health is a cycling team that is centered around a 3,700-mile ride, traveling the country from San Diego to Washington D.C. We are comprised mainly of medical students who share similar passions about the need for change in both international and domestic health care. Throughout our ride, we raise significant funds to support non-profit organizations whose goals are consistent with our vision. Each year the team chooses their beneficiaries and this year we selected Empower and Advance along with Village Health Works. We empower audiences to become informed and active global citizens through a coast-to-coast lecture series that is presented in most of our destination cities. The mission of R4WH is to address global health disparities by focusing on education, advocacy, and fundraising which are addressed by utilizing a national cycling event as a vehicle for change.

 All through medical school, I would view my participation in endurance sports as a hobby and an excellent way to relieve stress from hours of studying. Throughout the past 4 years at Oklahoma State University I have trained and completed dozens of running, biking, and triathlon events including a few half and full marathons and a full distance ironman triathlon. The stress release was great and I enjoyed all the training, but eventually felt I needed to use my hobby in a more meaningful way if I was going to continue to spend up to 20 hours per week training. I looked at several options and then I received an email explaining R4WH. I knew instantly that this is what I had been waiting for.

My interest in world health issues stems from several different sources, but was peaked when I experienced many of these issues and problems first hand. I spent my 1^st summer of medical school in the mountains of Central-Western Mexico working with the Tarahumaras. This indigenous tribe lives and works in these mountains, isolated from most of the developed world. I spent weeks traveling through the mountains making house calls, working in small clinics, and helping out in a missionary hospital. Here I saw several medical problems that I would not imagine dealing with in the United States from the tuberculosis epidemic, extreme poverty, malnutrition, and the lack of clean drinking water. Realizing the great disparity people faced living in a neighboring country of the United States raised my level of interest into what other problems are occurring globally and what is being done to correct these issues.

Being a part of the Ride for world Health team has not only allowed me to educate others on global health issues but I have surprisingly learned a great amount about these issues that will further improve my osteopathic medical education. A large portion of our lectures involve discussing the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which consists of 8 goals created by the UN in 1990 to be completed by 2015. These include issues such as primary education for all, gender equality, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health, combating infectious diseases, and giving everyone access to clean water. None of these goals have been met and it is unlikely any will be by 2015 but significant steps have been created to reach them.

 I also completed a research paper and corresponding lecture for the ride focused mainly on non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) and what steps can be taken worldwide to prevent the occurrence of these illnesses. NCD’s are often overlooked and tended to after the previous issues the UN is focused on solving. However, NCD’s contribute to 36 million worldwide deaths annually and make up 75% of global health care costs. Most people consider these chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease to be problems of developed countries but 80% of the 36 million deaths occur in developing countries. I've enjoyed the lecture portion of the trip, having given several talks to elementary classrooms, community and church groups, and medical students and professionals. The knowledge and awareness we are spreading across the country is priceless and hopefully will continue to spread outwards, creating even more opportunities for improvement of our global health.

As I mentioned, we are over 2500 miles into our trip and nearing the end in 2 short weeks. This has been a refreshing break before I start residency in July and has been a chance to focus and reflect on why I am entering the medical field. Aside from all the learning, teaching, and fundraising, the trip has been full of unforgettable moments and unlimited amount of laughs. We started out with a wide variety of backgrounds in biking, one rider had only ever been on an indoor trainer but after a couple weeks and a few “learning falls” they were biking like a seasoned rider. The 10+ days so far of biking over 100 miles will easily give you the experience needed to feel comfortable on the bike. You can’t beat all the views from the tops of mountains, to the middle of the desert, and everywhere in between. Sampling the food from across the country is a definite perk as well. I have a favorite stop for food no matter what state I might be traveling through in the future. I’ve also been able to build relationships with other medical students from all over the country going into nearly every medical specialty. I am the only osteopathic trained student on the ride but have been more than welcomed with manipulation sessions for the team practically every night. With all of these experiences by far the most enjoyable part of the ride is talking with people who stop us as we ride, we see in the community, and who we lecture to. People start out curious about why we are riding and then become inspired and eager to take part in improving global health. All together it has been an incredible journey and experience. It’s also something any one can participate in no matter your biking experience or knowledge on global health issues. You can visit our website at R4WH.org to find a recap of our journey, follow the rest of our journey, learn about each rider, see how you can help our cause, and to find out how to participate in future rides.