Penn Medicine Student Travels 7700 Miles from Tanzania to Attend Graduation

PHILADELPHIA – Among the 154 Perelman School of Medicine students taking the Hippocratic Oath for the first time as new doctors this weekend is Aura Obando, who is making a long trip to be at graduation: travelling 7700 miles over three days, she will be returning from a six-week trip working at Teule Hospital in Tanzania just in time to reunite with her class to march at graduation and receive her diploma.

WHERE:	Kimmel Center 260 South Broad Street on the Avenue of the Arts Philadelphia, PA 19102 NOTE: Reporters and Photographers must sign in with Kim Guenther and pick up a ticket to gain admittance.
WHEN:	Sunday, May 16, 2010 9 – 11 AM 9:00   AM Processional 9:05   AM 9:15   AM 9:45   AM 10:45   AM 11:00 AM Opening remarks Graduation address given by Art Caplan, PhD Presentation of diplomas and hoods Recitation of the Hippocratic Oath Recessional
WHO:	Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Art Caplan, PhD, director of the Center for Bioethics at Penn, will present the Graduation Address.

“I'm leaving Tanzania feeling like I have learned so much about medicine in Africa, about practicing medicine with extremely limited resources, and about my potential for making an impact in the future,” said Obando. “Now on my three day journey home, I am feeling so many different emotions -- starting with trying to process my experience at Teule Hospital, and trying to refocus my energy on the very exciting weekend coming up: my graduation from medical school. This weekend will bring together my entire family, and I really can't imagine a better homecoming.”

Aura, who hopes to provide care to underserved populations in the U.S. and internationally following her residency in Medicine and Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, previously spent time serving with the U.S. Peace Corps in Paraguay. While at Penn, she has volunteered for Puntes de Salud, a community-based clinic for the Latino immigrant population of South Philadelphia, and as an interpreter for Penn Language Link, which facilitates effective patient-caregiver communication.

Many students planning careers in primary care– a specialty facing a national shortage – are deterred by the rapid rise in medical education debt, decreased income potential for primary care physicians and increased burdens associated with the practice of primary care. For Aura, a  merit-based Gamble Scholarship eased the burden of debt allowing her to “pursue whatever field is closest to her heart.” The Gamble Scholarship program, now in its 18th year, covers tuition for ten Penn Medicine scholars each year.