Dr. Lisa Pathak Serves on Humanitarian Mission to El Salvador On most days Lisa Pathak, M.D., who is Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, is busy with her practice in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania. But for one weekend every month, Major Pathak dons her uniform and serves her Country as a United States Air Force Reserve Medical Officer with the 913th Medical Squadron. The unit is based at the Willow Grove Air Reserve Station just outside of Philadelphia. Dr. Pathak said that she joined the Air Force Reserve to give something back to her Country. Major Pathak recently returned from a two-week humanitarian mission, sponsored by the Air Force Reserve, to El Salvador, a Republic on the Pacific coast of Central America. She had been hand picked by the International Health Specialist Program to join a diverse team of medical experts from Travis Air Force Base, California. Their mission was designed to offer medical care to the indigent people in the remote areas of the country. Three local schools were set up as temporary medical treatment facilities to provide easy access for the residents. The medical team included physicians from the fields of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Gynecology, Family Practice, Dentistry and Optometry, as well as pharmacists, nurses, and medical assistants. There were over 7,000 total visits in just a 10 day period and during this time, the team prescribed and dispensed medications valued at over $47,000. The United States Ambassador to El Salvador thanked us for providing such exceptional and much needed care, said Dr. Pathak. After graduating from Mount Sinai Medical School in New York City, Dr. Pathak, a native of the city's borough of Queens, served residencies in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. During her assignment to El Salvador she treated adult as well as pediatric patients and also coordinated with the Ministry of Health to administer Pap smears and provide other preventive Gynecological care. I find these trips extremely rewarding, said Dr. Pathak. Besides helping patients who are truly in need, the experience also helps me to grow as a person. I m able to give something back to the world as well as my own country. The recent visit to El Salvador was Dr. Pathak's second humanitarian mission as part of her military service. Last August she served with an Army team in Ecuador, South America, where she provided similar healthcare services. Her fluency in Medical Spanish, her excellent primary care skills, and her flexibility and willingness to work in austere conditions makes Dr. Pathak the ideal candidate for the International Health Specialist Program, said Lt. Colonel Yvette Guzman, M.D., one of the organizers of the humanitarian mission. She was a huge asset. Dr. Pathak is also involved in community service locally as well as on the global front. She serves on the Bon Secours Community Hospital Medical Executive Committee and is a member of the Bon Secours Community Hospital Foundation and the Milford/ Matamoras Rotary Club. When Dr. Pathak is not taking care of her patients, working at Bon Secours Community Hospital or training with the Air Force Reserve, she and her husband, Dr.Raj Dalavai, are tending to their home in Milford and enjoying life with their two children. Dr. Pathak can be reached at her office at 570-828-8000. Photo: Major Lisa Pathak, M.D., a physician affiliated with Bon Secours Community Hospital and a member of the Air Force Reserve, is pictured examining a young patient during a military assignment in El Salvador. |