A group of five resident physicians from Adventist Health traveled to Loreto, Mexico, for a transformative week of medical service and cross-cultural learning during the first Adventist Health Central California Residency Global Health Rotation.
The team held clinics in eight rural communities surrounding Loreto, where residents have limited access to medical care. The rotation, which has been in development for two years, was created to broaden the clinical and cultural understanding of participating physicians.
“We incorporate global health into the training of our medical residents so they can understand health systems across beliefs and cultures,” said Raul Ayala, Adventist Health ambulatory medical officer. “Global Health education addresses content areas essential to the developing physician, including cultural humility, understanding social determinants of health, and appreciation for public health and preventive medicine.”
Resident physicians from the family and internal medicine programs at Adventist Health Hanford and Adventist Health Tulare participated in the seven-day mission, working under the supervision of clinical faculty.
Bukhtawar Munir, second-year resident, described the experience as transformational. “Serving on this rotation was more than healing; it was about becoming part of a story larger than my own,” Munir said.
The program was developed by Ayala; Bucky Weeks, community health initiatives coordinator; John Schroer, global mission director; and Adnaan Edun and Shruti Javali, supervising physicians, in collaboration with Mexico’s minister of health in Baja Sur.
Collaboration with the Mexican government ensured that the Adventist Health team provided care in the areas most in need. "We asked where they would like us to go, and the Loreto community embraced us," Weeks said.
Tiffany Yu, third-year resident, said the experience left a lasting impact. “What was once an unfamiliar place now holds a piece of our hearts,” Yu said.
Javali, who leads the Hanford residency program, said the trip reinforced the mission of medical education rooted in service. “Early exposure can shape careers — and service, at its core, is what sustains us,” she said.
The Global Health Rotation exemplifies Adventist Health’s mission of living God’s love through inspired healthcare — without borders.
Tiffany Yu cares for two patients at a clinic held outside Loreto.
Raul Ayala (left) joins the residents on the trip along with Bucky Weeks (right). They are pictured here with Ochoa Paz, Municipality of Loreto president.
Residents hold a special clinic for moms and children.
