Global Health in the Serengeti: My Experience as a Medical Volunteer and Teacher in Tanzania

Tanzania July 24-Sept 4, 2025

A tremendous thank you to the Doximity Foundation for the grant they so generously provided to support my trip to Tanzania. Without your support, this would not have been possible. I appreciate all you do for Global Health efforts around the world. You are making a difference. 

The Journey to Tanzania

My journey from Colorado Springs to Tanzania began at the Colorado Springs Airport after a leisurely breakfast. I flew to Minnesota and then immediately took a flight to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, we met up with most of our crew, and we continued to Kilimanjaro.

In Kilimanjaro, we met with Jackpot Safaris, who transported us by vehicle to Arusha, where we stayed in a hostel for two nights. We then began our trip to the Serengeti as part of our mission to get to Shirati Hospital. This took several days and was an incredible trip. 

We saw animals of all kinds, all of the big African animals that you would expect. Along the way, we met many different types of people, including the Maasai. We enjoyed cultural food, crafts, music, and the Street market. 

It is important, as you travel anywhere in the world, to participate in the daily activities of the culture. Well, of course, as a white person, I stood out; the people were very kind and welcoming. This seemed very genuine, and I felt very safe the entire time. One of my favorite things was getting up early in the morning in the Serengeti and doing burpees. The feeling of fresh cool air in my lungs was invigorating.

Shirtati KMT Hospital 

Arriving at Shirati KMT Hospital was a welcome event. We had a tour and orientation immediately upon our arrival by AMO Dr. Chirangi, the chief medical officer. He introduced us to much of the staff, and we were warmly welcomed. 

The following day, after settling into our hostel rooms and having a nice evening dinner, we awoke to an early breakfast and began integrating into Hospital operations. The local staff was warm and welcoming. There were students from all over the world, mainly Dutch students who spoke both English and Swahili.

I had the pleasure of joining up with James Madison University PA students who had been there for the past three weeks and learning from them the local nuances of how to fit into hospital processes and make things work smoothly for all. When we visit these areas, we are truly guests. While our help and servant-mindedness are welcome, it is important to be culturally aware and try to assimilate and integrate into the system already established. 

Throughout our week at the hospital, our team broke up into smaller teams to service different areas throughout the campus. 

Photo with parent permission at Schistosomiasis Outreach.

We participated in the Sickle Cell clinic, where some patients required acute care, Maternal Medicine, where many babies were born, C-sections, and postnatal care was rendered. We also participated in rounding through the adult male and adult female wards, the pediatric and HIV wards, and a TB and leprosy ward. We participated in the HIV Outpatient Clinic medication dispensing. 

Additionally, we participated in multiple outreaches in the community, including Schistosomiasis education screening and prevention, capturing some critical patients with advanced signs of infestation, screening for diabetes and hypertension; rendering education and new medications, as well as lifestyle modification recommendations; and participating in Behavioral Health Outreach, demonstrating important physical therapy and social interactions among children who struggled with various developmental disorders. Many of these limitations are a result of anoxic brain injury, and there is a robust effort to educate young women to present early for any signs of labor complications. 

Fish drying in the Sun, Lake Victoria. Schistosomiasis is prevalent in fishermen.

The TB and Leprosy Wards

It was of particular interest to me to visit the patients in the active TB and leprosy ward. They are a tightly knit group of patients and have incredible nursing care. They are all on active medication suppression and live a very fruitful life. 

For the leprosy patients in particular, they will live the rest of their lives in this ward. They participate in small group activities, craft making, and selling to raise money, educational awareness efforts, and praise and worship to support one another. I had the privilege of visiting these patients with their amazing nurse. 

These pictures are taken with their permission, and actually, they wanted these pictures produced so that others could become more aware of these diseases and what life is like living with them. In these photos, I am wearing an N95 mask as I anticipated starting my assignment with Indian Health Services in the United States. As a responsible Healthcare provider, I must think of all my patient populations at all times, not putting any of them at risk for the spread of infectious disease.

Ultimately, the goal is to contribute, to give more than we receive, to leave a place a little bit better than when we found it. The truth is that we are blessed when we extend ourselves and open ourselves to the lives of others. The insight we gain by understanding our fellow human beings is timeless. I hope to continue Global Health efforts with the intention of spreading peace, light, and a life of improved Health outcomes for all. 

Please take it upon yourself to learn more about Tanzania and East Africa in general. Please visit the link above for our host hospital. It was a wonderful place to be, and they are very adept at incorporating visiting clinicians. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me directly at bryn@redshotmedical.com or visit my website at https://www.redshotmedical.com/

Thank you, Doximity Foundation https://foundation.doximity.com/