The UTD chapter of Global Medical Brigades is planning to head to Greece May 18 for a weeklong project to help improve healthcare access in refugee communities.
The chapter, founded in 2014, sends student volunteers to deliver medical care and health education in underserved communities both within Dallas County and internationally. On average, the club has between 60-100 members each year, of which around 15-20 go on a brigade — a healthcare trip focused on a particular community abroad — with a total of 17 brigades completed since the club’s founding. Spoorthi Narendra, former president and current student advisor of the club, said the chapter has sent students to a variety of countries since its founding.
“We’ve been to Greece, Panama, Ghana, and Honduras, providing free dental and healthcare,” Narendra said. “We’ve worked with refugees, sometimes providing eyeglasses to kids who’ve never seen clearly before.”
The organization raised $41,110, surpassing its goal of $40,610, to fund this year’s trip. Narendra said the organization tries to take as many people as possible on each brigade. Each brigadier raises funds to pay for their own trip, which includes housing and airfare. Narendra said any student is welcome to go on a brigade if they pay the amount needed.
“I would say it’s hard to fundraise for this trip,” Narendra said. “It’s such a meaningful experience, and not everyone can go due to the cost. We are working on coming up with new ideas and fundraising tactics [so] more people are able to go.”
Stephanie Joseph, co-vice president, said the club aims to collaborate with local healthcare professionals in the countries it visits. In last year’s mission to Corinth, Greece, UTD students worked with local pediatricians and ophthalmologists at a refugee community center to distribute medical supplies and donations.
“In Greece, we visited a local orphanage for boys aged 3-15,” Narendra said. “They didn’t have proper dental care tools, so we taught basic hygiene using creative methods like brushing demonstrations on eggs, and provided essential dental equipment from the U.S.”
UTD’s Global Medical Brigades chapter is part of a larger international effort where students and healthcare professionals visit rural and underserved areas every few months, providing essential medical services and hosting workshops to educate residents about public health. Beyond healthcare, the international organization also works on clean water, sanitation, and economic development to ensure communities can independently sustain medical support and education after the brigade. One of the UTD chapter’s goals is to provide healthcare improvements that will persist long after the brigadiers leave.
“During the brigades, we make sure to fill out electronic health records so that patient diagnoses, medications, and follow-up [treatments] can be tracked and documented,” Joseph said. “After the brigades, we have a report on how many people we helped to see how working contributes to the long-term goals of the patients.”
Between funding difficulties and cultural barriers, however, Joseph said the trips can sometimes pose challenges to brigadiers.
“One big thing that may come up is the language difference,” Joseph said. “Even though we have translators provided, there may not be enough for every person. We think of creative ways to communicate with patients and give them instructions to ensure they get the best care.”
On top of providing brigadiers with the unique experience of traveling abroad, Narendra said these trips shed light on the different kinds of health systems used globally.
“When I went to Athens, Greece, which everyone sees as a tourist [city], [it] actually has a large refugee population that does not have access to care,” Narendra said. “It’s interesting to see how nonprofits work in these sectors as opposed to how it works in the US. The cultural understanding of healthcare is so different from place to place.”
Joseph said the club allows brigadiers to see the difference having affordable and accessible healthcare makes in people’s lives. Narendra said the trips show that addressing global health issues requires a holistic approach: not just medicine, but empathy, education and sustained community partnerships.
“I think going out, serving time and volunteering with their local doctors and their local patients shows a lot that we cannot see reading from a book.” Narendra said. “It has broadened my scope of access to care and made me appreciate what we had here.”
