Imagine combining work-study, a good deed, and international travel, all in one interesting project.
Five University of Hartford students do not have to imagine it at all; those are precisely the elements they combined in a program under the auspices of the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions.
Two UHart students went to Kenya, and three to Peru, to help assure that patients in need of prosthetic devices were well served, to assist the local healthcare teams in becoming more self-sufficient in their treatment obligations. They also received real-world experience in their chosen field.
The students who went to Kenya are candidates for a Master of Science degree in prosthetics and orthotics (MSPO). Of the three who went to Peru, two are also MSPO candidates and one is in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (DPT).
The South American trip was planned by Dreaming and Working Together (DWT), a not-for-profit organization based in Wethersfield, Connecticut, founded by a group of medical professionals and concerned citizens. Partnering with UHart on the Kenya expedition was Limb Kind, a Queens, New York-based firm that provides prosthetic devices around the world.
Steve Charry, clinical/applied assistant professor of prosthetics and orthotics, and Abbey Downing, adjunct faculty in prosthetics and orthotics, are among the UHart faculty members who are proud of the collaboration and the students who were part of the effort. Both are also directors for DWT.
“We have developed meaningful relationships with everyone involved at Hospital Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrion in Bellavista, Peru,” says Charry. “Even though we don’t speak the same language, these relationships have developed into friendships that make each trip feel like a family reunion.”
“Everyone who participated is thrilled with the improved medical care now available to the amputees” Downing adds. “We hope to continue to support the hospital staff.”
Melanie Carter ’25, College of Education, Nursing and Health ProfessionsI was immersed in a new culture and helped those in need by doing something I’m passionate about. It was rewarding to see the smiles on children’s faces and inspiring to see them playing sports, going to the playground, and interacting with peers. I have a new perspective on what determination, resilience, and graciousness look like.
As Downing notes, students derived an enormous amount of satisfaction from their work. Emma Burkhardt ’24, one of the two students who traveled to Africa, remembers fondly one patient at the AIC-CURE Children’s Hospital of Kenya in Kijabe who, despite still having a touch of pain from his leg prosthetic, decided to take a long walk simply to show how much he appreciated her hard work. “I was immersed in a new culture and helped those in need by doing something I’m passionate about. It was rewarding to see the smiles on children’s faces and inspiring to see them playing sports, going to the playground, and interacting with peers,” Burkhardt says. “I have a new perspective on what determination, resilience, and graciousness look like.”
“I came away from my Peru trip with the belief that it takes a full team of health care providers to ensure that a patient reaches the best possible outcome. Interprofessional collaboration is so important,” says Melanie Carter ’25, one of the three students who went to Bellavista. “We worked together seamlessly to achieve that goal for patients. It inspired me to foster these types of relationships when I become a practicing physical therapist.”
In the center of the effort is Duffy Felmlee, a UHart faculty member, director on the board of DWT, and associate with Limb Kind. Felmlee, clinical/applied associate professor of rehabilitation sciences at UHart, accompanied the students on both trips, and notes how pleased he was to see how well they adapted to their important tasks in foreign lands.
“All my colleagues feel that way about these students,” says Felmlee, speaking on behalf of his UHart, DWT, and Limb Kind associates.
DWT was the initial partner for this international program. “As student engagement expanded, the Limb Kind Foundation wanted to contribute to the early career experiences of tomorrow’s orthotists and prosthetists, to cultivate the mindset of humanitarian clinical care,” Felmlee says.
It has been an exceedingly successful initiative ever since. Felmlee hopes and anticipates there will be many more to come.