Playa del Carmen’s Angel Notion Clinic, Mexico.
Photo courtesy of Peter LaPine.
Thinking globally is at the heart of MSU’s dedication to forming partnerships with institutions around the world that share our commitment to enhance education, health, agriculture, business, and technology. As the world grows smaller, the university’s reputation as a leader—and sought-after partner—in international academia, research, and economic development becomes ever more vital.
Erin Werner, audiology and speech sciences master’s student, examines the cleft lip and palate of a young boy.
Photo courtesy of Peter LaPine.
What started as a single trip to provide educational assistance to residents of a town in Mexico has evolved into a sustained commitment for a team of MSU faculty members, students, and community partners to treat and educate impoverished families facing health problems.
Peter LaPine, associate professor of communicative sciences and disorders, first began partnering with Playa del Carmen’s Angel Notion Clinic in 2000, when he and a team of colleagues and graduate students worked at a school for students with special needs including primary hearing impairments and associated speech/language and educational deficits. In addition to clinical work, the MSU students gave presentations in Spanish to the teachers, parents, and community members on special needs issues and their treatments.
Since that time, about 3,000 families have been touched by the several hundred physicians, nurses, surgical technicians, speech pathologists, and volunteers who have accompanied LaPine on his 24 medical trips to Mexico. Partnering with several Mexican universities and the Angel Notion Clinic, he is developing a telemedicine and distance-learning program that will train local young people to assist impoverished parents in recognizing potential health problems.
Learn More
Clinic trip blog
The Engaged Scholar Magazine
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