Kiran Patel

Alumni Advisory Committee 2023-2024; Medical Brigades Vice President 2022-2023

Hi, my name is Kiran Patel and I am starting at the WVU School of Medicine in the fall of 2024.

I was first introduced to WVU Global Medical and Dental Brigades in my freshman year, during a quick talk given to my biology class. My intrigue led me to the Global Brigades website and the Holistic Model, and I attended an information session to learn more about the organization. I continue to deepen my appreciation for this organization, but at the time I was intimidated by the scale of brigades and unsure if I had the skills or experiences to contribute in an impactful way. From that point on, I worked to become more knowledgeable about myself and my ability to serve others through volunteering locally in the Morgantown community and gained a more complete understanding of the foundation that Global Brigades works upon. Returning to in-person classes in the fall of 2021, I applied to Brigades with the intent to play a more active role in resolving health and economic disparities across the global community through the empowerment of people of all walks of life. Although the COVID-19 pandemic prevented our brigade to Panama that spring, I was able to brigade during the spring of 2023. My experiences as a part of this organization and my interactions with like-minded leaders continue to broaden my perspective of inequities locally and abroad. Through working with members at Panty Plus More events to combat food insecurity in the Morgantown community and learning about how others see the objective of Global Brigades during group meetings, I have been educated and empowered to serve to reduce public health and developmental disparity. I encourage you to apply if you are interested in putting the holistic model to practice, challenging yourself and serving others; I look forward to the opportunity to brigade again in the future!