The American University of Antigua

American University of Antigua medical students provided free disease screening as a service to the Antiguan community on November 21, 2009. The AUA chapter of the American Medical Students Association (AMSA) coordinates a health fair each semester in the heart of St. John’s in an attempt to interact with the local community in a positive way, in addition to exposing students to the dynamics of patient care early in their medical education.

This semester’s Health Fair took place on Market Street in downtown Antigua. Three hundred fifty volunteers saw over 400 patients, and medically licensed AUA faculty were available for consultation. The spectrum of services offered included blood glucose testing, blood pressure reading, body mass index calculation, history taking, and measurement of visual acuity as well as HIV screening.

AUA students Nhi Tran and Megan Woslager	AUA student Gurjeet

Natalia Londono, an AUA student and member of AMSA, explained that giving back to the community enables medical students to put into practice what they learn in the classroom and read in textbooks. She also appreciated the unique connection with the community that this experience fostered.