Sandrik Tabidze

Medical Brigades President 2023-present; Triage Co-Chair 2022-2023

ait0002@mix.wvu.edu

Hello everyone! My name is Sandrik Tabidze, and I am a senior majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Computer Science from Atlanta, GA.

I first heard about the WVU Global Medical and Dental Brigades from my older brother, who was a part of this organization for most of his collegiate career. When he came back from his first brigade, he explained to me how much of an impact it had not only on the community he served but on himself as well. The more I learned about his brigade, the more I realized how much preparation, planning, and education went into it. I've been fortunate enough to have gone on two brigades, more recently this past spring to Honduras. On this brigade, I was able to shadow local healthcare professionals, practice triage, prepare charla material, and participate in a water project. Best of all, I learned how to view medicine through a sociological lens, something which many healthcare curricula around the world disregard. What I really value about this organization is the curriculum behind it and the holistic model by the Global Brigades. This model aims to uplift a community by empowering its economic sector, health sector, and infrastructure. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of being educated about the community you are serving, and the Global Brigades organization here at WVU does exactly this. I am really looking forward to working collectively as a group with all members to uplift communities in West Virginia and next spring when we brigade. I would strongly encourage any student interested in helping achieve our goals to apply! I would also recommend visiting the main page of the Global Brigades to fully understand what this organization as a whole is trying to achieve! Do not hesitate to reach out to Professor Brewster or any of the leadership team with any questions!