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International volunteer experience in public health has helped undergraduate focus on her future interests
October 7, 2014
Courtney Bellissimo traveled to Ecuador on a medical service trip with USC’s chapter of Timmy Global Health.
All points south.
That’s what one might say of Courtney Bellissimo who left Westchester, N.Y., with a cousin to tour the University of South Carolina and found that she loved the campus and the Arnold School of Public Health’s exercise science program.
She also discovered USC’s chapter of Timmy Global Health, a U.S. organization dedicated to expanding access to healthcare and empowering students and volunteers to tackle today’s most pressing global health challenges. So, Courtney traveled even further south in August 2013 – this time to Ecuador as part of a medical service trip with Timmy Global Health. She traveled with peers from USC and students from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Bellissimo, whose boundless energy no doubt left an impression of those in Tena, a remote village at the south end of the Amazon.
“Every day was different,” she said. “All of the experiences were meaningful.”
The word “amazing” may not be the description many would give. Overcome in the beginning with a stomach ailment – a common problem for many international travelers -- Bellissimo worked through her illness to provide triage services for children and adults. She took the basic height and weight measurements and vital signs, helped out in the mobile pharmacy and worked on arts and crafts projects with children whose parents were receiving services.
“We take so much for granted in this country,” said Bellissimo, the former marketing chair on the executive board for Timmy Global Health at USC. “The care that we provide is very simple. Patients are treated for intestinal viruses or we might give patients a 60- to 90-day supply of pain relievers. Many of the people who come are day laborers, and they need basic care.”
Other college and university chapters are assigned to other communities in the five countries where Timmy Global Health services are provided. The organization was founded in 1997 by Dr. Charles Dietzen (Dr. Chuck), an Indianapolis-based pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist. After working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta in 1996, Dietzen was inspired to broaden his commitment to serving children in an international setting and empower others to do the same. The organization was named for Timmy, Dietzen’s older brother who passed away during infancy. The name is a tribute to both his family and children everywhere who all deserve the right to healthy futures.
College and university chapters work to raise money to support their volunteer activities abroad. Chapters are granted a specific number of students who can travel on a mission. When Bellissimo traveled to Ecuador, USC was granted five positions. For the next trip, 15 students from USC will be allowed to go.
“We have developed a strong bond in our chapter,” said Bellissimo, who wants to become a physician assistant after graduating from the Arnold School in May 2015.
That bond is underscored by the chapter’s recent award at the recent Timmy Global Health Student Leadership conference. USC’s chapter received the “Excellence in Advocacy” award.
In addition to her international volunteer work, Bellissimo was an intern this past summer at The Sigurd Center in West Columbia. The outpatient rehabilitation clinic offers physical therapy and occupational therapy. Bellissimo worked with a client who had a portion of a leg amputated.
“He told me ‘I’m going to walk again,’ ” she said. “He said that I would have to teach him to get on one knee so that he could propose to his girlfriend. We worked with him, and he accomplished his goals.”
She has conducted brain function and imagery research on a study with a doctoral student. For her work as a research assistant, Bellissimo was EMG (electromyography) and fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) trained specifically for the study.
Bellissimo finds that having that individual interaction with patients – at home and abroad -- is inspiring.
“It’s the ‘bigger than you’ factor that is so rewarding,” Bellissimo said. “The Arnold School has given me the educational and service foundation that I will need to pursue my goals in life.”
After graduation, Bellissimo knows that she will remain a Gamecock. “Who doesn’t love the excitement of college football! That will go with me when I leave.”
Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlVU5iX-5Zs to learn more about USC students’ experiences with Timmy Global Health.
Check out https://www.facebook.com/TimmyGlobalHealthatUSC for additional information.
