Practicing Medicine Without Borders: AUC Graduates Share Their Rural and Global Health Journeys

What happens when compassion meets courage in medicine? For AUC graduates Rebecca Gerrity, MD ’19, and Madison Bangert, MD ’17 it meant leaving comfort zones behind to care for patients in some of the world’s most underserved communities—from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to hospitals across Africa. Their stories embody what it means to lead with heart and serve with purpose.

Bridging Gaps in Rural America

After completing her residency in Memphis, Dr. Gerrity sold her furniture and drove more than 1,000 miles to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where she began her fellowship with the Lakota at a 20-bed hospital. Often, she was the only pediatrician or internal medicine physician on duty.

“We had no specialists, no MRI machine, no microbiology in-house. Everything had to be sent out,” she says. “It’s jarring to go from training in a hospital that can do heart transplants in patients who are less than a year old to a place where you don’t have the resources to treat a 9-year-old who has diabetes.”

That contrast showed her what it truly means to practice rural medicine in America. “Until you live rurally, you don’t understand what it means to have to drive two hours one way to see your heart doctor for 10 minutes and then have to drive back two hours,” she says. “The plight of the rural patient is truly access to care. Patients don’t just not have access to specialists; they may not even have access to a car.”

Dr. Gerrity says her passion for rural medicine began at AUC. “It’s a huge privilege to get outside of your comfort zone, and AUC grants you that ability to see a different part of the world,” she says. “Sint Maarten was the first time I really saw the drastic wealth gap that can exist. Then I moved to Memphis and saw it in the U.S. as well.”

Finding Purpose on the Prairie

Dr. Bangert grew up in a small town, but she doesn’t consider it rural—at least not after also living and practicing medicine in Pine Ridge. “Access to care and the level of care is so different depending on where you live,” she says. “Pine Ridge is a food desert; the nearest affordable grocery store was two hours round-trip.”

But she embraced the challenge and the beauty of the environment around her. “It is beautiful country,” she says. “You can see why it is sacred to the Lakota.”

On the job, working without advanced diagnostic tools helped sharpen her clinical intuition. “You really have to pay attention to what the patient is telling you through their physical exam. It makes you more patient-focused,” she says.

That focus continues to shape her work today. She is an infectious disease specialist at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, Utah, and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Utah. She’s also licensed in Idaho, Wyoming ,and Nevada so she can help patients outside major metro areas.

Teaching and Learning in Rwanda

For her second fellowship year, Dr. Gerrity practiced and taught medical students in Rwanda—splitting her time between the capital, Kigali, and district hospitals in rural regions. The central African nation has less than one physician per 10,000 residents, according to the World Health Organization.

“It’s been amazing to join an incredible team of people who are teaching the next generation of students,” she said during her time there. “Watching them learn and grow is truly the best part of my day.”

As grateful as she is for her international experience, Dr. Gerrity reminds other physicians that meaningful service starts close to home. “There are free clinics in your city. There are patients who are getting discharged without fully understanding what’s going on with their care,” she says. “Even just asking that extra question—What was the biggest hurdle to you coming into the hospital?—can make a difference.”

Practicing Medicine in Sierra Leone

While completing a fellowship at Tulane University in New Orleans, Dr. Bangert earned a master’s degree in public health and tropical medicine. After that, as a Rural and Global Health Fellow, she put her learning into practice in Sierra Leone.

This West African nation has just 1.3 doctors per 10,000 residents. Malaria and tuberculosis remain prevalent, and the country continues to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure following an Ebola outbreak a decade ago.

Living in Koidu, Dr. Bangert worked in the emergency department and female ward of a government hospital serving more than 500,000 people across the region and from neighboring Guinea. She also had the opportunity to teach medical students.

“Seeing their growth and their ability to more independently see and support patients was the most rewarding,” she says.

Practicing in remote areas, she adds, brings both challenge and purpose: “We didn’t go into medicine because it’s easy. It’s challenging and rewarding.”

Carrying AUC’s Mission Forward

At American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, we believe physicians shouldn’t have to choose between a rigorous education and a supportive community. Our mission comes to life in graduates like Dr. Gerrity and Dr. Bangert, whose compassion and commitment extend far beyond the classroom.

If you’re ready to make a global impact and serve patients wherever you’re needed most, request information today to learn how AUC can help you begin your own journey toward becoming a skilled, compassionate physician.