My name is Nicholas Tirop and I am a 2nd year MD candidate at St.George’s University, Grenada, West Indies (Carribean Island). I was born in Eldoret, Kenya. I have an interest in the intersection between medicine and global health and am passionate about reaching out to the underserved communities. Former collegiate athlete and US military veteran. I believe in the power of togetherness to bring about positive change. Working every day to bridge gaps, inspire hope, and create a more connected world. It is truly awe-inspiring to think about how far we have come and what we can still achieve with our collective effort. I take pride in all that we have accomplished so far, but I also believe strongly in the potential of what lies ahead. With hard work, dedication, and faith in ourselves, I am confident that we can continue to push boundaries and create a better future for the underserved communities, all while striving to become well-rounded physicians.

Habari zenu! My name is Jonathan Yantas and I am currently a 2nd year MD candidate at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies. I was born in Lima, Peru but grew up in the Lone Star State, or better known as Texas. I have the honor of serving the Tirop Foundation as the Financial Director. I was a member of the inaugural trip that took place during the summer of 2022. The experiences and knowledge that I gained during my travel to Kenya exceeded my expectations. I was able to stand side by side with the Doctors during clinic and ward rounds, and was even able to scrub into multiple surgeries and assist the surgical team. However, the highlight of the trip for me was when we visited the children’s primary school. The warm welcoming and outpouring of love that we received from the children is something that will stay with me forever. My hope for all incoming future Tirop scholars is an impactful experience that will broaden their horizons as well-rounded future physicians and an appreciation for providing care in underserved communities across the globe. My hopes for the Tirop Foundation is continued growth and networking with aspiring individuals that share our mission, vision, compassions, and devotion to the welfare of others.

Hello! My name is Geraldine Ortega, a 2nd year MD candidate at St. George’s University. I come from a Puerto Rican family and was born and raised in New York, USA. I was fortunate enough to be part of the inaugural cohort of the Tirop Foundation and my current role is an Administrative Director. During the program, I embraced this opportunity to diversify my clinical experience and learn more about the Kenyan culture. I hope the see the Foundation continue to grow and allow even more opportunities to eager medical students who have a passion for giving back to the community. Growing up in an underserved community allowed me to appreciate those exceptional doctors and healthcare workers that made it their mission to help those in need. There are many financial, social, and language barriers that prevent people receiving quality healthcare. My goal is to bring awareness to this health disparity and encourage other like-minded individuals to give back to these communities as well.

Hi Guys I’m Ricardo Martinez. I am from Miami, Florida. I graduated from the University of Florida. I am happy to represent Tirop. The Tirop foundation is a profound experience that will give you a glimpse of what clinical rotations will look like. I know it may seem like leap of faith at times but you will not regret it I promise you. This experience will allow you to see a whole new side of medicine. By understanding other systems and philosophies of health care, have a deeper understanding of what it means to connect and empathize with patients. By saying this I mean to have a level of acceptance with norms that may be outside of your realm of comfort. To practice the sense of humility, being humble and having a grounded attitude for what you may encounter. For example you maybe be hit with cultural uncertainties at some point of the program and at that same day be at the side of a physician giving bad news to a patients family. The Tirop program is an opportunity to practice the professional role of a physician in society and learn the proper clinical etiquette as a medical student.

Niaje! My name is Amari Sawyer and I have the privilege of serving the Tirop Foundation as the Multicultural Affairs Director. I am Nigerian American. I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma but raised in San Antonio, TX. I am currently a second year medical student at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies and am interested in Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery. I had the extraordinary opportunity to be a part of the inaugural “Kwanza” group during summer 2022. I spent 3 weeks in Kenya. I thought that each day was the best until the next day topped it and made me feel even more blessed to be there. I was able to gain knowledge and appreciate the field of surgery a lot more. This new profound love prompted me to take a second trip to Kenya later the same year. Each time, I thought we were impacting them but it was me who was impacted by them. My time in Kenya taught me how to protect the humanity of my future patients and to amplify the voices of those who have been oppressed. My hope for future Tirop scholars is that they immerse themselves fully in the experience, step outside their comfort zone, redefine the kind of physician they want to be, and never stop wanting to make an impact. My hope for the Tirop Foundation is to continue affording more first and second year international medical students exposure to the field of surgery via continued partnerships, scholarships, and mentorships. Luke's Orthopaedic & Trauma Hospital for believing in the vision of the Tirop Foundation and allowing our cohort members to learn but most importantly get an opportunity of a lifetime

Jambo! My name is Darnesha Mc Comb and I am a second year Global Health MD candidate at the American University of Antigua. I was born and raised in Michigan but my current residence is in south Florida. I had the privilege of joining the second cohort trip to Kenya in December 2022. My experience was life-changing! The heartfelt welcome from all Kenyans made me feel at home. From the hotel accommodations and food provided to the excursions, everything was great. We all had the opportunity to assist with many adult and pediatric surgical cases and rotated in non-surgical departments as well. I knew I had great interest in orthopedic surgery coming in but to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed neurosurgery. Dr. Doreen and the neurosurgical team at MTRH allowed me to scrub in on an epidural hematoma case which was amazing. I am forever grateful to all the staff and doctors at St. Luke’s Orthopaedic and Trauma hospital and MTRH for making this the best hands-on learning experience. One of the main highlights of the trip was visiting the Eldoret Children’s Rescue Centre. I was overcome with emotion seeing the amount of shared gratitude, love, and humility. Witnessing how much can be done with little made me want to join Tirop’s initiative of giving back to the community. It is a great honor to serve as the Director of Fundraising. My hope is that the Foundation will continue to make a great impact via networking and building great rapport with sponsors, students, and the community alike.

Jambo rafiki yangu! My name is Brian Flynn, and I am currently a second year MD student at St. George’s University. I was born in Long Island, New York; but I grew up in Marco Island, Florida. Before starting medical school, I received my bachelors in Biological Sciences at Florida State University and worked as a Medical Assistant where I helped several skin cancer surgeons. My passion for medicine began with my father’s story; a neurosurgeon saved his life after being hurt in the line of duty while in the NYPD. The impact it had on his life and our family’s life is something I will never take for granted. My goal to this day is to become an excellent surgeon like the one who saved my father, whether it is neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, or trauma surgery. I fell in love with being a global citizen after my first medical mission trip with MEDLIFE to Cusco and Lima, Peru. I went on 3 trips during my time as an undergraduate student. When Nicholas presented me with this opportunity, I dove in headfirst. I feel extremely grateful to have been involved with the first Tirop trip with a group of people that I am able to call lifelong friends. I will continue to assist Mr. Tirop with his mission by being a piece of this foundation as the communications director. The trip itself was unreal… there was so much hands-on involvement, new cultural perspectives, and genuine life changing experiences for me and the communities we served. I look forward to future trips and the potential of this foundation as we work as a team to manifest the Tirop Foundation’s purest vision. Come join the Tirop Foundation and help us make a difference, you will not regret it!