LOCUS Project: Adam D. Marks

Project: Operation International Assessment
Fellow: Adam D. Marks
Mentor: Ann Behrmann

Fellow Bio:
I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I did my undergraduate work at Kenyon College, where I recieved a degree in Genetics and Ethics in 2001. In the time since graduating from college I worked at the Centers for Disease Control, in the Molecular Biology Branch as a research fellow. I have always been interested in the role of medicine in larger issues of social justice, and spent some time volunteering as a translator and nurses assistant at medical clinics in Guatemala.

Project Description:
In the town of San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala, there is a program call the San Lucas Mission that has been running for over 40 years. Its many goals include the education of health care professionals in how to best meet the needs of resource-poor areas. My project will be to mimic pre-existing programs in place at medical schools like Brown University, which send several medical students to San Lucas every summer to volunteer at the local clinic and to train in assessing the needs of the community.

Project Goals:
My project has a number of goals, both personal and otherwise. I hope to travel to San Lucas this summer, along with other students, and ascess the usefulness of the San Lucas Mission in training community activists. I think that first and foremost, the goal is to create a sustainable relationship between LOCAS and the San Lucas Mission. This relationship would, ideally, allow students in the future to travel and work at the San Lucas Mission. I see this as an ideal opportunity for students to see first-hand the kind of thought processes that go into recognizing the needs of a community, developing a project to meet such needs, and the manner in which such projects are executed. I think such experiences will add a great deal to a student's ability to work with communities, both abroad and at home. Personally, I hope to improve my Spanish skills while developing a personal relationship with a program I hope to be a part of all my life.

This is my first report, so everything here is new. I've been in contact with Dr. Steve McCloy of Brown University, and talked with him about the details of setting up a formal program through University channels.

Challenges and Solutions:Right now the major challenge is just that there >are so many interesting places to go with this project, it's been >hard to focus my energy. Talking with Dr. McCloy has helped a great >deal, and given me direction for future work.

Next Steps:The political climate in Guatemala has been increasingly unstable recently, due to increased military control of government agencies. The atrocities that occurred all too recently could again take place, making travel unsafe. This challenge will be addressed by canceling the project

Locus Project Objectives and Key Tasks	Target Date for Completion
Apply for funding	soon
Contact San Lucas Mission itself	soon

Resource Needs:

Money.
Funding from LOCUS, since this will be a volunteer endeavor.
Support of Medical Faculty and San Lucas staff.

Last update:
November 18, 2002

Graduation Requirements Progress Chart
If you complete the requirements outlined below, you will graduate as a LOCUS fellow.

A check indicates the item has been completed.

When	What	On-line
Year 1: Beginning of Semester 2	New Project Report	Submit Report
Year 2: Beginning of Semester 1	Project Update	Submit Update
Year 2: Beginning of Semester 2	Project Update	Submit Update
Year 3: Beginning of third year	Project Update	Submit Update
Year 4: August of fourth year	2-3 page final summary of project that includes a reflective evaluation of the project process	N/A
Ongoing	Participate in program evaluation (written and/or focus group)	View Options
By the end of fourth year	Select poster, presentation, paper, creative option or your own idea	View Options