In Peru鈥檚 highlands, preventive medicine looks a bit different.
A pair of reader eyeglasses.
A CPR demonstration.
A dental hygiene kit.
A meal cooked over an open fire.
For ten UB PA students who recently traveled to Cusco, Peru, those moments became lessons in what it means to meet people where they are.
The experience asked students to step into unfamiliar healthcare settings, where they built skills, empathy, and perspective they will carry into their careers as healthcare providers.
Months before their flight to Cusco, the students were already at work. They researched public health challenges facing rural communities in and around the Peruvian highlands, developed and rehearsed workshops on topics ranging from diabetes management to menstrual health, and fundraised for the supplies they would carry with them. By the time they packed their bags, they had assembled hundreds of care kits, each stocked with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, sunglasses, bandages, antibiotic ointment, and nail clippers. They also brought hundreds of reader eyeglasses for communities that may not have access to regular eye care.
They were ready to teach, but this year, one of the most powerful lessons began not in a clinic or classroom, but around an open fire.
In a rural village outside of Cusco, UB PA students chopped vegetables, prepared locally sourced ingredients, and cooked a 鈥渇olic acid stew鈥� together with community members. They designed the meal to teach residents how to increase their folic acid intake using affordable, accessible ingredients, including lentils, red kidney beans, fava beans, celery, spinach, chicken, chicken liver, carrots, onions, and seasonings.
For students, the experience brought lifestyle and preventive medicine to life. For the community members, it offered a practical, sustainable lesson in nutrition that could continue long after the UB team returned home.
Folic acid plays a critical role in preventing certain types of anemia and is especially important for fetal development early in pregnancy, making it a priority for women of childbearing age.
The activity of cooking together was accessible by design, but the community鈥檚 response was something the students hadn鈥檛 anticipated. Village residents shared their excitement for learning how to meet a critical nutritional need using ingredients they hadn鈥檛 considered combining. For the students, it was a lesson in meeting people (and their future patients) where they are: using what is already available to make a lasting difference.
鈥淲hat resonated with me most was realizing how much we take for granted back home,鈥� said Aleyna Kokoglu, one of the PAI students who participated in the 2026 Peru trip. 鈥淲hether we were providing vision screenings, handing out reading glasses and necessities, or cooking for the local community, it became clear that medicine is about so much more than clinical tests and prescriptions. True healthcare is rooted in human connection, meeting people where they are, and treating every individual with grace and empathy.鈥�
Preventive medicine made practical
Led by Mirofora Paridis, PA-C, assistant professor and coordinator of admissions and simulation in UB鈥檚 PA program, the 2026 Peru trip continued a global outreach tradition that began in 2015, when Paridis first participated in the experience as a student.
This year鈥檚 group included ten PA students.
On day 3 in Peru, the group made a stop that wasn鈥檛 on a previous year鈥檚 itinerary: the local fire station.
Firefighting in Peru is a largely volunteer-run effort. During their visit, PAI students led volunteer firefighters through a CPR training session, an experience that Paridis described as one of the most rewarding of the whole trip. At the end of the session, the firefighters presented the UB team with an honorary badge. They also gave the students a tour of their firetruck, which had been donated from the United States.
A week of care across Cusco
The CPR training and cooking experience were new additions to this year鈥檚 trip, but the week was packed with programming. Students delivered interactive workshops on diabetes, hypertension, sexually transmitted infections, hand hygiene, women鈥檚 health, wellness and stretching, dental hygiene, and vision health (with particular attention to conditions caused by Cusco鈥檚 high altitude and intense sun exposure).
The students designed workshops that would be participatory rather than passive presentations. For the nutrition session, students brought a large, illustrated plate and paper cutouts of different foods, then invited participants to build a balanced meal by placing the cutouts in the right proportions. The approach was effective: people were engaged, asking questions, and helping one another.
At a local school for individuals with special needs, the group split their focus: dental hygiene workshops for the students, and training for caregivers on choking response, CPR, and seizure care, equipping the people who are most needed in a crisis with skills they can use every day.
The group also distributed hundreds of pairs of reader eyeglasses, following a clear protocol to help residents find the appropriate pair and understand how to use and care for them. Access to readers is limited in Cusco, and for many, it was their first pair.
Students distributed care kits throughout the week, and provided outreach at the Municipality of Cusco, extending their reach beyond the villages and into the city’s institutional networks.
Machu Picchu
On day 7, the group made the journey to Machu Picchu, by train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, then by bus up the winding switchbacks to the site. It was the one day without a workshop or a clinic, and after a demanding week, that was exactly what the students needed 鈥� a day to reflect on the history, beauty, and scale of the place they had spent the week serving.
What they鈥檙e bringing home
For Paridis, the goal has always been the same: to develop PA students who are as capable in unfamiliar settings as they are in clinical ones 鈥� providers who can read a room, adapt their approach, and treat every patient interaction as an opportunity to build trust. These skills extend beyond just this trip; they mean being able to bring practical healthcare to underserved communities and populations right here in America.
The impact of this trip will continue to shape the way these students approach patients, community care, and their future careers.
To learn more about UB鈥檚 PA program, visit bridgeport.edu/pa.
With over 14 years of experience in writing and communications, Abby Levandoski is a seasoned storyteller specializing in highlighting stories that build community. As the assistant director of communications and content strategy for 越南直播, Abby produces compelling narratives highlighting academic programs, research initiatives, and student success. Her work has earned positive media coverage across print, digital, and TV platforms. Abby holds a master鈥檚 degree in education and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science, bringing a strategic and creative approach to her role in higher education marketing and communications.