Hope Africa pageant raises $2,000 for Ghana hospital

The 2006 Women in Medicine pageant raised about $2,000 Friday night for a hospital in Ghana in need of medical supplies.

Nine members of Women in Medicine and the premed honors society, Alpha Epsilon Delta, modeled business, casual and formal wear to raise money. The majority of the funds were raised from ticket sales at $5 per person, T-shirts, donations and a silent auction.

A portion of the total funds raised went to scholarships for winning pageant participants. Caitlin Carroll, a biochemistry and premed junior, came in first. She was awarded a $300 scholarship to cover textbook costs. The runner-up, Ting Ren, an undeclared, pre-pharmacy sophomore received a $150 scholarship also for textbooks.

About 132 people attended the event, said Mynhi Nguyen, Women in Medicine treasurer and biology junior.

"We decided that we wanted to do something different this year on campus and get more involved with the whole university and the College of Natural Sciences," said Amber Soares, president of Women in Medicine and a social work junior.

Women in Medicine member Emily Hsu, a nutrition and premed senior and former historian for the group, came up with the idea for the fundraiser after spending five weeks at the Manhyia Hospital in Ghana last summer. During her time there, Hsu watched births and various surgeries.

"I shadowed two doctors really, really closely while I was there," Hsu said. "One of them was more in the consulting room where he saw patients. He really emphasized the importance of communication with patients. The other doctor was in charge of operations, so in the beginning when we were in the surgery room I was all in scrubs, and I was timid, but then he waved me over to watch."

The Manhyia Hospital is a non-profit 24-hour clinic which helps primarily lower-income patients. The hospital is still using out-of-date equipment, Hsu said. The funds will go to buy sonicaids, incubators and various medical equipment. The maternity ward is the largest part of the hospital, Hsu said.

Women in Medicine hopes to raise $15,000 over three semesters, Nguyen said.