University of New England

UNECOM student Elizabeth Kunkel awarded international medical fellowship

BIDDEFORD - University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine student Elizabeth Kunkel, MSIII, was one of 31 medical students chosen to receive a 2007 MAP International Medical Fellowship to serve six to eight weeks at a hospital in a foreign country. The Fellowships are made possible by an endowment from the Dewitt Wallace foundation and Reader's Digest magazine.

Awarded annually by MAP International, the program provides residents, interns and senior medical students from North America the opportunity to serve at remote clinics and hospitals in developing countries by providing funds to cover the cost of their airfare. Through the program, recipients take part in the daily responsibilities of a hospital or clinic and receive first-hand knowledge of health problems in a segment of the world that has the least access to adequate medical care.

Students are selected on the basis of an excellent academic standing, personal development, motivation, cultural adaptability, world concern, desire for voluntary service and a sincere interest in medical missions in developing countries. Since the program began in 1971, more than 1,800 students have served in 68 countries around the world.

Press release posted June 19, 2007)