American Samoa
Lyndon B Johnson Tropical Medical Center, and Department of Health
Since 2010 a group of volunteers from the Pediatric Cardiology program at Oregon Health Sciences University have organized an annual trip to American Samoa to work with pediatricians and other volunteers at the Lyndon B Johnson Tropical Medical Center, and Department of Health, in the care of children with Rheumatic Heart Disease. Two years ago the clinical work was expanded to include a research project to establish the true prevalence of RHD in this U.S. territory. Through this work it was established that the population of American Samoa experiences one of the highest rates of RHD in the world.
Anyone interested in finding out more about this work, or opportunities to contribute, please contact:
Dr. Laurie Armsby armsbyl@ohsu.edu or Dr. Jennifer Huang huangje@ohsu.edu