The Delaware Chapter wanted to celebrate the life and career of a young ACP physician who succumbed to lymphoma in 2004. We formed the Parag Bakshi’s Fellowship for international and underserved community rotations in memory of Parag Bakshi, MD, a distinguished internist and respected teacher in the Department of Medicine at Christina Care. The objective of the program is to offer residents from Christiana Medical Center to travel to underserved countries and get acquainted with the system of medical practice in other countries. All upper year internal medicine, internal medicine-emergency medicine, and internal medicine-pediatric residents who are ACP Associates are eligible apply. Up to 3 winners annually receive from $2000-$5000 to support the 4-6 week international rotations in underserved areas.
The chapter has created a selection process by using a merit based system for choosing residents. Upon return the residents are required to provide an account of their experiences, activities, and knowledge gained. Their reports are used by the chapter leadership to guide members on how to effectively practice medicine in less than desirable conditions and environments. To date, three young physicians have traveled to Jalandhar, India, Guanajuato, Mexico, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A request for fellowship applications is sent to all eligible Associates every June, with winners announced by October 1.