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Brooke Elmore

BE

Secretary 2025-2026

Hi everyone! My name is Brooke Elmore, and I’m a senior majoring in Biology with a minor in Child Development and Family Studies from Elkview, West Virginia.

I first heard about Brigades through a friend who was participating during our freshman year. I was intrigued, but I did not see myself being able to be a part of something like that. It wasn't until my junior year that I attended an info session. I was drawn to GMDB because of their holistic model and how they empower the communities they enter. I knew Brigades would be an opportunity to broaden my understanding of medicine as a whole. While participating in GMDB last spring, we traveled to Panama and worked in resource-reduced communities throughout the Darien Gap. There, we helped restore clean water access to a community by digging trenches, removing old water pipes, and replacing them with new ones, along with facilitating medical and dental clinics for community members. Being from rural West Virginia, I saw a lot of similarities between these communities and the community I grew up in. Seeing firsthand how individuals in a completely different part of the world are experiencing very similar challenges to those that the people of Appalachia experience, such as a lack of access to healthcare, allowed me to value the real impact of medicine. Being a part of brigades has allowed me an opportunity I never imagined I would have, along with an amazing group of people to surround myself with. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to reach out to any officer!