Dr. Pat Come
Dr. Pat Come has been a member of Team Heart since 2008, participating in 12 missions. As a cardiologist, she founded the screening team which has, thus far, evaluated over 1000 patients with cardiovascular disease, mostly rheumatic in origin. In the past 2 years, her emphasis has shifted toward educational efforts at the medical student, intern and resident levels. Pat has loved working as a volunteer for Team Heart and states, “It has been the highlight of my life. Rwanda is like a 2nd home to me. It has been such a pleasure to see our Rwandan colleagues develop the expertise which will enable them to function independently in the near future. In the meantime, I look forward to our next trip.”
After I returned from Rwanda, each time I passed my to do list, my pencil hovered to cross off Rwanda–I could not do it. Rwanda was not finished.
I am thankful to Team Heart for saving my life and allow me to return to my studies energetically and it does me proud to be studying public health
Rwanda can eradicate rheumatic heart disease in a generation-it is an achievable goal
I consider being a part of Team Heart to be the biggest achievement in my nursing career, and one of the best parts of my life!