SMP Voices
Do you have a Salybia Mission Project testimonial or story that you would like to share? ​► E-mail Us
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Salybia Mission Project was one of the highlights of my medical school career. It not only allowed me to help many underprivileged people in Dominica but it helped shape the type of doctor I will one day become. From the first time I stepped foot in the clinic, I realized that the Kalinago people are an amazing group of individuals that allow students the opportunity to learn first- hand what the world of medicine is all about. I highly recommend every student join this great organization! 

Antonio Barrios
Clinical Coordinator, Fall 2012
Director, Spring 2013 / Graduation Class 2015
As the only Canadian founding member of SMP, I was drawn to the Project because of its underpinning philosophy that heath care is not a privilege of some, but rather a right for all. Collaborating with a team of intelligent, inventive leaders and having the privilege of serving the Carib community could not have been a better springboard for my professional career.  It was during those formative years that I was able to truly experience the essence of being a physician, something that I work to emulate in my current practice.  I would like to thank our countless successors that have helped carry on the legacy of SMP and supported its growth. I look forward to the day when I can reunite with the other founders, meet our successors, and propel SMP to its next great success.

Sylvia Marcos, MD
SMP Founding Member, RUSM Class 2006
Internal Medicine Division, William Osler Health System
Toronto, Canada
I got involved with SMP because I had the opportunity to participate in a few clinic trips before med school with a group that goes down to Mexico. Providing healthcare and immediate access to meds through clinics was an amazing opportunity. As I was packing my bags to go to Ross, I looked for a similar opportunity on the island, and I found that with SMP. This group is so much more than a club; it is a lifeline to the Kalinago people and provides them with access to physicians and eager medical students. I am grateful for the efforts of the people who came before me and established this club, for my peers that worked alongside of me when I was on the island, and for the students and leaders who are yet to come. Thanks, SMP. You make a difference.

Sheryl Recinos, MD, 
Class of 2014 / SMP E-Board Sept 2010 & Jan 2011
FM PGY-1, UC Riverside (Moreno Valley, CA)
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Being a part of Salybia mission project was one of the most rewarding experiences of medical school thus far. The Kalinago people depend on the clinics every other week for their healthcare and management of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. It was gratifying to interact with patients and put my clinical skills and knowledge to good use. As the 5K coordinator, I organized an event that helped raise money for the clinic to buy supplies. The race and raffle were a huge success, raising enough money to support several clinics and buy needed supplies.  I am grateful for the opportunities Salybia Mission Project has given me to learn not only about medicine and healthcare, but also about what it means to give back and to be a part of a community.

Brittany Antle
5K Coordinator, Fall 2013
Class of 2017
My experience in Salybia was the best clinical experience I’ve ever had in my life. One of the perks of attending an international medical school allows you to be so much more hands on than you would have ever imagined. I myself was given the opportunity to place an IV line into a patient who direly needed IV fluids, a task which I have never performed before. I never understood why the slots fill up so quick until I was given an opportunity to attend one of Salybia's clinics. It's a great experience, great practice for your CCSB interviews, and reassures yourself why you have chosen this career path!

Anthony Pasquarella
SMP Member 3rd Semester, 2012
No other organization gives you an opportunity to make a direct impact in a community, to be involved in every single aspect of the care of a patient. From fundraising to presenting your patient to a physician for the first time in your young career is an experience that gives you a chance to test your professional and interpersonal skills. During my interviews for residencies, my role in Salybia was brought up A LOT! They were not only impressed by the position that I held but were inspired on how a simple idea has progressed into such a life changing experience for both students and Salybia’s patients and their families. I encourage all to get involved in the organization; you actually have a lot to lose if you don't.

Jairo Ulloa, MD
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Dept. of Emergency Medicine  -- PGY-3
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As the former VP & Clinical Director of SMP (2007-2008), I have so many good memories from SMP. Working with maximum patient exposure and minimal tools and resources, influenced my career path in medicine. After graduating in 2010, matched in Emergency Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, where I also served as Chief Resident. I now work in rural Illinois as an emergency physician and adjunct clinical faculty for SIU. I will always cherish the time spent with SMP and encourage as many people as are able to join this worthy cause. 

Tony Cummings, MD
Ross University, Class 2010
Emergency Medicine, SIU Illinois
It was a privilege to have the opportunity to write a health education song for the children. They were so enthusiastic about singing the song and learning the dance that went along with it. Even the parents wanted to join in the dance competition. These are the moments that remind me why I am studying to be a physician.  View Video

Rebecca Skilbred
SMP Member 4th Semester, 2014
I didn’t join Salbyia until my 3rd semester and my only regret is I wished I had done it sooner. I had been so caught up with studying and lost sight of why I wanted to become a physician in the beginning.  I performed a history and physical, and presented to Dr. Andrews and felt like a student in a rotation presenting to an attending.  I had so much fun and it was hard to believe how quickly the hours would go by.  I feel that Salbyia has made me a stronger individual and became more comfortable in doing a history and physical.  I hosted a special education clinic that brought about awareness of diabetes and had a health poster made with signs and symptoms.  The following semester, I was the director and wanted to focus more on the original foundations of SMP.  I will always carry SMP in a special place in my heart, because it reminded me why I am doing this. 
 
Christopher Jacobs
SMP Co-Director, December 2013
Shortly after starting at Ross University, Mark Thompson approached me to be part of a volunteer student run clinic in the Kalinago Territory.   Not long after that, about a dozen of us headed off through the windy roads across the island of Dominica to meet the Kalinago peoples.  The van stopped in front of a church with a small clinic next to it.  This would be our project for the next two years.  When started seeing patients the labor and time away from our studies became inconsequential compared to the satisfaction of giving back to this community with such limited access to healthcare. Although resources were lacking, the camaraderie and resourcefulness of this first core group of SMP founders set the stage for future success and generations of students to experience some of their first clinical experiences."

Bill Sherman, MD
SMP Founding Member, RUSM Class of 2006
Department of General Surgery / Kaiser Permanente
Fontana, California