• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
U Magazine

U Magazine

U Magazine
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Centennial Campaign for UCLA Issue
  • Browse U Magazine
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

U Magazine

Browse U Magazine

  1. Home
  2. Browse U Magazine
Share this
Alumni

Postcard from Kenya

  Dr. Upon Mark Sugi
  Members of the Maasai community in Shompole, Kenya, with Dr. Sugi (second from right).
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Mark

Upon Mark Sugi, MD ’11, completed a surgical internship at UCLA in 2012. In June 2015, he began his residency in radiology at the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Over the last decade, Dr. Sugi has traveled to Cairo, Egypt; Pyongyang, North Korea; Mumbai, India; and Pristina, Kosovo, where he has witnessed the significant healthcare challenges faced by people of different socioeconomic circumstances.

In June 2013, I had the opportunity to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, with Medical Missions Kenya (MMK) and Hunger Relief. The organization has deep roots that spread to the most remote villages in the country, where access to information, healthcare and even food can be severely limited. Our multidisciplinary team included three physicians, six nurses, pharmacists, a researcher and a host of local family and friends. We traveled to villages where a need had been identified, predominantly through the extensive network to which Millicent Manyore, a UCLA nurse and the founder of MMK, has access. Outside of Eldoret, a large town of around 300,000 people in the west of the country, we met with civic leaders and established an ad hoc jigger-treatment clinic. After systematically rearranging the pews of a local church and establishing measures for crowd control, our team commenced a full day of jigger extraction from dozens of children who suffer from this parasitic infection.
We trekked to Shompole, in the south, an isolated conservancy along the Kenya- Tanzania border, where we encountered colorful Maasai who had walked scores of miles to reach the clinic. One mother, whose infant demonstrated advanced manifestations of infectious disease, had traveled for hours for antibiotics that would ultimately spare her baby’s vision. All medications were donated or purchased by MMK.

I left Kenya impressed by a generous and vibrant people who opened their doors to us at every stop on our journey. Though there remain significant barriers to adequate care, the impact of MMK’s leadership and dedication is real. MMK is making a true difference in the health of those the organization serves.

To learn more about MMK, go to: medicalmissionskenya.org

 


Previous
Sky’s the Limit
Next
A Home-grown Team Battles Melanoma


YOU ARE VIEWING

Summer 2015

Summer 2015
E-Brochure
Printable PDF
IN THIS ISSUE
  • United We Stand
  • Stories of Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Brain Abnormalities Similar in People with Anorexia and Body Dysmorphic Disorder
  • Drug That Can Head Off Diabetes Is Rarely Used
  • Characteristic Patterns of Proteins Found in Brains of Retired NFL Players Who Suffered Concussions
  • Scientists Patent Method for Finding Microscopic Needle in a Haystack
  • Mental-training Exercises Help Mitigate Effects of “Chemo Brain”
  • In Utero Exposure to Extreme Morning Sickness May Harm Offspring
  • Nanotechnology Platform Shows Promise for Treating Pancreatic Cancer
  • Blood-based Test for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Electroconvulsive Therapy Changes Key Areas of the Brain That Play Roles in Memory and Emotion
  • ADAPT Program: Tailored Care to Address Special Needs
  • On the Trail of a Gene Mutation
  • Safe Haven
  • Interior Life
  • Balancing Act
  • Awards/Honors
  • In Memoriam
  • Sky’s the Limit
  • Postcard from Kenya
  • A Home-grown Team Battles Melanoma
  • In His Own Words: Scott Lee, MD ’02
  • Taste for a Cure Celebrates 20th Anniversary
  • Great Minds Gala Supports Outstanding Young Researchers
  • UCLA Health Forms Partnership with Sound Body Sound Mind Foundation
  • New Mobile App Focuses on Tools for Foster Families
  • Dedicated to a Cure for Pancreatic Cancer
  • Turning Sorrow into Laughter
  • Memorial Golf Tournament Supports Cancer Research
  • David and Susan Wilstein Pledge Support for Rehabilitation Services
  • Chairs of Distinction
  • Gifts
  • Awards/Honors: HeartRhythm Honors UCLA Cardiologist
  • Out of Africa: An Interview with Dr. Matthew Waxman
  • A Place to Turn for Help
  • Healing Space
  • Out of Africa
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • Find a Doctor
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Subscribe
  • Patient Stories
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • International Services
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Billing
  • Health Plans
  • Emergency
  • Report Broken Links
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Your Feedback
  • Report Misconduct
  • Get Social
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest

Sign in to myUCLAhealth

Learn more about myUCLAhealth