2022 Travel Team Feature: Rajiv Reddy
We are counting down the days until Operation Walk Pittsburgh’s Mission to Antigua, Guatemala. In this series, we will highlight veteran and new members of the travel team so that you can see their passion with their career and what led them to OpWalk. This year’s trip will be our seventh to Antigua, and our twelfth trip overall. We enjoy returning to Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro, our partner hospital in Antigua, which we affectionately call our home away from home. The relationships formed over the last 13 years of traveling there are lasting.
Travel team members generously volunteer their time, talent, and energy toward our shared goal of providing the gift of mobility to patients in need. There are financial and time commitments that each travel team member reaches in order to make the mission a reality for our patients. Despite this, many of our volunteers have traveled on at least 50% - 75% of our missions over the years.
Read on to meet our next travel team member, Rajiv Reddy. Rajiv is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently in medical school at Pitt. Rajiv is considering a career as an orthopaedic surgeon, and we are looking forward to having him join our team as a translator. Read more to learn about Rajiv, his career goals, and what he’s looking forward to on his first ever OpWalk trip!
Meet Travel Team Member Rajiv Reddy!
From where does Rajiv hail? What made him passionate about healthcare?
Rajiv is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently a third year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Rajiv is interested in studying orthopaedic surgery after both of his parents suffered shoulder and knee injuries.
Outside of school, Rajiv enjoys exploring and reviewing restaurants, playing pickleball, traveling, watching sports, and hanging out with friends.
What is Rajiv’s role on Operation Walk Pittsburgh?
This is Rajiv’s first trip with Operation Walk Pittsburgh where he will be a Spanish interpreter between patients and the healthcare team. Rajiv minored in Spanish during undergrad and took a Medical Spanish course, which allowed him to volunteer at the Birmingham Free Clinic in Pittsburgh as a Spanish interpreter. He is looking forward to furthering his skills while facilitating patient care abroad.
“I think Operation Walk's mission is noble in that it seeks to combat disparity and restore pain-free quality of life to its patients.” - Rajiv
What brings Rajiv to Operation Walk?
Rajiv learned about Operation Walk from a friend who did missions during her undergrad. Having family members who have suffered orthopaedic injuries, Rajiv understands how detrimental they can be to one's quality of life. Rajiv is aware that his family is fortunate enough to have access to great healthcare, but that others in developing nations do not. Operation Walk’s mission resonates with Rajiv as someone who is interested in global health and orthopaedic surgery, who enjoys speaking Spanish, and loves interacting with patients.
When asked the three words he would use to describe Operation Walk Pittsburgh, Rajiv answered, EXCITED, CURIOUS, NERVOUS.
Every travel team member agrees to a fundraising commitment as a condition of joining the team. Donations made to Operation Walk Pittsburgh in a travel team member’s name are used to cover the cost of critically needed surgical supplies and equipment for the mission. Please consider making a donation in Rajiv’s name to support his fundraising commitment. Remember, 100% of all donations made to Operation Walk Pittsburgh directly support patient care during the mission. Won’t you help Rajiv reach his fundraising goal?
Won’t you help Rajiv reach his fundraising goal?