Learning through service: Students, alumni reflect on medical mission in Peru

A team of 33 volunteers provided medical care in Calca, Peru, with Christian Medical Ministry of South Alabama.

By Lindsay Hughes

In the small mountain town of Calca, Peru, volunteers listened closely as patients shared their medical histories through an interpreter. For medical students and alumni, moments like this — which transcend language, culture and miles — help to reaffirm why they chose medicine in the first place.

“Trips like this ground me and help recenter my goals as a future physician, reminding me that medicine is not just about knowledge, but about service, empathy and human connection,” said Chase Jordan, a rising third-year medical student. “I was reminded ... how much healing can come simply from listening and showing up with compassion.”

Jordan was among 20 first- and second-year medical students from the Whiddon College of Medicine who recently spent 10 days in southern Peru, serving alongside healthcare professionals on a medical mission trip with the Christian Medical Ministry of South Alabama (CMMSA). Calca is located outside of the city of Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire, and its population is largely indigenous.

CMMSA partnered with Medical Missions International (MMI) Peru to lead a team of 33 volunteers. Working in temporary medical clinics set up in gymnasiums, the group provided medical, dental, optometry and physical‑therapy services. Students rotated through each area for hands‑on learning with attending professionals and local staff.

Medical student Chase Jordan listens to a patient's heart.

This was Jordan's second international medical mission trip with CMMSA. Some of his most powerful memories in Peru came from connecting with patients who have limited access to medical care.

“We saw patients in remote areas who walked hours just for the chance to be seen by a healthcare provider. The gratitude they showed was incredibly humbling,” he said. “Beyond the clinical work, the chance to collaborate with Peruvian healthcare professionals, translators, and fellow students created a strong sense of teamwork and shared purpose.” 

Mary Frances Buzhardt, a rising second-year medical student, said the trip was a chance for her and her classmates to apply their M1 coursework in an interdisciplinary setting. 

“Doing so allowed us to receive experience working alongside different specialties, as well as gain perspective on the roles of various members of the healthcare team,” she said. A personal highlight for Buzhardt was assisting in a frenectomy, a minor procedure to correct a tongue or lip tie, that produced instant results for the 6-month-old patient.

CMMSA Director Duane Baxter noted that, for volunteers who wished, faith was woven naturally into care. “Our host values integrated spiritual care,” he said, “so students had the opportunity to pray with patients and practice compassion-driven care.”

Buzhardt agreed: “It may seem like a small thing to do, but if patients are open to it, prayer can have a powerful impact on fostering strong relationships and making every person feel seen and heard.”

Alumnus Brian Buning, M.D., assists a patient

at the clinic.

This year’s trip was especially meaningful with the return of four alumni from the classes of 2015 and 2018, who had served on a similar trip to Arequipa, Peru, with CMMSA and MMI back in 2015. “Nearly a decade later, they returned to mentor current M1 and M2 students — passing on the same encouragement and guidance they once received,” Baxter said.

Brian Buning, M.D., a 2015 alumnus, said when he participated in his first mission trip, he didn’t realize just how impactful it would be. “A decade later, I’m still traveling the world with the organization to help serve people physically and spiritually,” said Buning, an emergency medicine physician practicing in Orlando. “This trip was extra special as I was reunited with current physicians who were medical students at South on previous trips. To see how they’ve grown professionally and spiritually was really inspiring.” 

Celebrating his birthday “in true Peruvian style” with current students was an unexpected bonus, Buning added.

Kirasten Brasfield, M.D., a 2018 alumna, served in Peru in 2015 and in Rwanda in 2018. When Baxter presented the opportunity to join this year’s mission, she was excited to reunite with classmates she hadn’t seen since graduation. “It was like no time had passed,” said Brasfield, now a family medicine physician in Chatsworth, Georgia.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip, Brasfield said, was being able to “connect with the medical students and mentor them during the clinics, as well as give advice and insight regarding where they are in their training currently. I was encouraged by their enthusiasm for serving and impressed by their knowledge and skills.” 

Brasfield also appreciated the slower pace of the clinics in contrast with the typical 20-minute window to see patients in the United States.

“I loved being able to slow down, get to know our patients, their daily struggles and how they may affect their health, and have the time to pray with people if they wanted us to,” she said. “I came back to my job with a renewed sense of intention in my work.” 

Alumna Kirasten Brasfield, M.D., and medical student

Tillery French talk with a patient in the clinic. 

Like Jordan, Brasfield said medical mission trips “are a great way to get a mental and spiritual reset and to remember the purpose behind my pursuit of a career in medicine so that I can better serve my patients.” 

On one of the final days of the trip, the team had the opportunity to explore Machu Picchu, the historic site of an ancient Inca citadel set high atop the Peruvian Andes.  

“The landscape of Peru, especially the Andes Mountains, was breathtaking, and having the opportunity to tour Machu Picchu added a once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience that made the trip even more unforgettable,” Jordan said.

Reflecting on the medical missions, Buning called CMMSA “an incredible blessing” that shaped his trajectory. “They have helped guide me in the specialty of emergency medicine, make lifelong friendships, and provide a platform to mentor students just like I was,” he said. 

As he prepares for the clinical phase of his training, Jordan said he hopes global service remains a lifelong part of his medical journey.

“These experiences not only make me a better medical student,” he said, “but also shape the kind of physician I aspire to be — one who leads with empathy and serves beyond borders.”