Dr. Radhika Chigurupati, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine associate professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and director of Quality Assurance in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, is no stranger to providing healthcare in rural, underserved areas: She estimates that she has gone on between 10 to 15 service trips, performing surgeries, teaching, or setting up oral health programs in underserved areas. But nothing compared to her experience providing healthcare to people living in the remote hilltop villages of Peru.
“I have been volunteering for over 20 years, but I think this is the most rural [location] I have been to,” she said.
The trip, which took place in May 2019, was organized by Flying Doctors of America. About 20 volunteers provided medical and oral health care to the residents of three remote communities—Mujuncancha, Sullumallu and Huaro – with the dental team focusing on basic dental procedures (extractions, oral health education, and application of fluoride).
“It was an amazing experience,” Chigurupati said. “The team was awesome. We had primary care doctors, physical therapists, general dentists, one oral surgeon [Chigurupati], and a few nurses. Everyone came together beautifully.”
Chigurupati said that the stamina that the patients—particularly the mothers— displayed was impressive.
“They carry their children to work—they just put their babies on their back,” she explained. “Then they came, put the baby down, have the extraction, put the baby back on [their] back, and went off.”
“It’s an amazing amount of physical strength and stamina that they have. They were able to withstand a lot [of] pain,” she said.
Many patients in these communities spoke a variation of Quechua, an indigenous language spoken by the Quechua people. Because of this, the volunteers required interpreters. In addition to translating information such as health history and postoperative instructions, the interpreter who worked with Chigurupati often assisted in extraction procedures and in reassuring patients.
“She did such an awesome job,” Chigurupati said.
In addition to the service-oriented parts of the trip, Chigurupati and the other volunteers also sampled some of Peru’s natural and historic attractions. Volunteers took a trip to Machu Picchu, as well as to Vinicunca, or Rainbow Mountain, a multi-colored mountain two hours from Cusco.
Chigurupati completed her oral and maxillofacial surgery training at the University of Washington, Seattle, and subsequently did a fellowship in pediatric maxillofacial surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. She joined GSDM in 2013 after spending nine years at the University of California-San Francisco and a year and a half at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She specializes in surgical reconstruction of developmental and acquired jaw and facial deformities.
“I think providing care to those who need it most is my mission,” she said.