In 2004, an International Health program was established to provide health care professionals an opportunity to learn about the complex interplay between social, political, and economic factors that shape the health care system in Africa.
This program created an opportunity to travel abroad and learn about different cultures, while experiencing medicine in a developing country. In 2004 only a single healthcare worker participated in the 4-week program held at the KMT Hospital in Shirati, Tanzania.
The following year, the number increased to eleven medical students traveling to the same location. Each student had researched epidemiological issues that plagued the area and began conducting public health research projects.
Outreach programs and research projects were initiated with a hope to continue collecting data throughout the year in order to better serve the local community. In 2006, following the addition of 21 new participants to the International Health Program, a decision was reached to officially establish an independent non-profit organization: The Global Physicians Corps.
By the summer of 2006, the Global Physicians Corps expanded to include two sites, (Shirati, Tanzania and Jimma, Ethiopia), 33 students, and 2 physicians. In addition, we were able to raise $6,000 used in purchasing medical supplies and funding outreach projects in both Shirati and Jimma.
Currently the Global Physicians Corps is in the process of establishing three additional sites in Malawi, Sudan, and India.
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maria@globalphysicians.org Dr. Maria Alikakos CEO, Co-Founder
Dr. Maria Alikakos graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville as a College Scholar, with a B.A. degree in Physics, Biology and Astronomy. She then proceeded to do Post-Baccalaureate work at the University of California, Davis, while concurrently participating in research at UC Davis School of Medicine. During this time she also worked as an after-school teacher at Beamer Park Elementary School, providing tailored education to the local underserved population in Woodland, CA through the 21st Century's Spanish Immersion Program.
In the summer of 2006, Dr. Alikakos initiated her work at the KMT Hospital in Shirati, Tanzania where she coordinated health education activities and organized relief projects. She now returns to Shirati on an annual basis to maintain ongoing public outreach programs and research projects.
Dr. Alikakos graduated from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in the Spring of 2010 and is currently a Resident in Psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, NY.
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arta@globalphysicians.org Dr. Arta Bakshandeh CEO, Co-Founder
Dr. Arta Bakshandeh graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Cellular and Developmental Biology and continued at UCSB to earn a Masters Degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology emphasizing in Molecular Genetics two years later.
Dr. Bakshandeh graduated from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in the Spring of 2008 and is currently a Resident in Internal Medicine at Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Hospital.
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justino@globalphysicians.org Dr. Justino Dalio Secretary
Dr. Justino Dalio graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Bio-Psychology. During his collegiate education he studied abroad in Italy where he realized his passion for public service and international health. He was recognized by the city of Florence for his work with the homeless and underserved. Justino went on to work at the Research and Education Development Institute (REDI) at the Sutter Hospital in Berkeley as a clinical research coordinator working on various projects in Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Cardiology.
He joined the GPC in 2006 as part of the Tanzania group. In Shirati, he organized and led research in Schistosomiasis, which he is presently submitting for publication. Dr. Dalio graduated from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in the Spring of 2010 and is currently a Resident in Emergency Medicine at Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, IL.
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jason@globalphysicians.org Dr. Jason Duong Treasurer
Jason Duong graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2009 with B.S. degrees in Bioengineering and Physiology & Neuroscience.
He has worked with the UCSD Cancer Center in outreach programs as a community health educator and is currently a 2nd year Medical Student at Touro University
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eiman@globalphysicians.org Dr. Eiman Mahmoud Program Director
Dr. Eiman Mahmoud worked as resident pathologist for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and is a member of The Drug and Safety Monitoring Board for the Leishmania Clinical Trail in Behar-India, sponsored by the Institute of One World Health and the World Health Organization.
In addition, she is consultant for the Need Assessment of Rural Health Centers Laboratories in the regions of Oromo, Amhara and Tegray in Ethiopia. The team is composed of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Clinton Foundation and the Ethiopian Orphan of AIDS Foundation.
In the past she has served as president of the Women & Health Office of the Sudan - Natural Human Resource Protection Group and as Country Representative in the African Women Medical Association.
She was a Success Story Nominee at the Global Women's Assembly on Environment in Florida and was also nominated for the Women of Africa Recognition Award.
